


Juliette’s girl

by growup_thatbeautiful



Category: Original Work
Genre: Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/F, Falling In Love, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 40,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29301372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/growup_thatbeautiful/pseuds/growup_thatbeautiful
Summary: Some cute gays in Paris, a little bit of angst, and a spotty and inconsistent timeline.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this a while ago, and for a long time i felt like this wasn’t worth posting anywhere. i thought it wasn’t good enough or some other stupid shit, but now i know that it doesn’t matter . enjoy!!

Paris has always seemed like the best place to fall in love, and according to the poets and artists, it is. It seemed inevitable that Juliette would fall in love there, being that she was prone to romanticizing almost anything she did, but we are made up of so much more than what we love. We are made up of what we hate, and what keeps us awake at night. We are made up of our mistakes, of our failures as much as we are made of our progress and successes.  
The day Juliette moved to Paris was the day everything started changing. Of course, like most things, she didn’t notice it until everything in her life was different than she remembered. It felt like she blinked and she didn’t recognize the life she was living. When her friends asked why she moved to Paris she told them that she wanted to study love and art, and what a better place than Paris to do these things?. When her family asked she told them it was because she wanted to find someone to love, and that she had a job lined up.  
Neither of those was true, but no one pries into a 24-year-old’s reasons for moving 4,927 miles away less than a month after graduating college.  
Juliette had just gotten off the plane that took her to France, and she was eating at a cafe. She sat at the table that was closest to the street. It was in the sun, and right next to a trash can full of the tourist half-eaten croissants and coffee cups.   
Despite all the other empty tables, she chose that one. Juliette got a lot of odd looks for choosing her seat there, but she didn’t notice them at all, being too immersed in her writing.  
Juliette had dropped her bags off in her small apartment earlier that day and was taking some time to get used to the city that was nothing like the one she was used to. Growing up in New York, she was used to the noise, but it was different here. The world seemed to turn slower as if it was giving time to the artists who came here to learn.  
She was scribbling in a small book with flowers on its cover when the man approached her. Her first thought was to close her notebook and stop writing, but when she saw him she couldn’t help but write down the first thing that came to her mind at the sight of him.   
He was tall and gangly and had straight light brown hair that sat on top of his head, slicked with gel. He had sharp cheekbones that accented his soft eyes half-hidden by blue large rimmed glasses. He had a thin scar above one of his eyebrows and he had one dimple that showed when he smiled. Juliette noticed all these things within seconds, but what she noticed first was the way he carried himself, like he didn’t want to be noticed by anyone, which seemed pointless to Juliette. He was walking to the one person in the cafe that people were paying attention to.   
He got close enough to speak to her, and he started talking to her in French, which Juliette hadn’t learned. He must’ve seen the confusion on her face, and he tried again in English.“Not that I have anything against writers, but you might want to stop writing down things when you see people. It gives off a little bit of a cereal killer vibe.” He spoke in a tone that sounded amused but not teasing.  
“I didn't mean to disturb your writing, but I have an empty chair at my table if you want, I don’t need it anymore.,” he explained, gesturing to a small table in the shade.  
“Thanks for the offer, but I should get going. I don’t think ignoring my packed bags is the best idea.” She shoved her journal into the back pocket of her shorts and stood up. He was standing next to her, and he started walking alongside her, sticking his hand out for a handshake.   
“I’m Luis James. It’s great to meet you…?”   
She looked him up and down and took his hand in hers, his rings biting into her skin. “Juliette. I’m Juliette Maeson. Nice to meet you.” She started walking away, only to find him walking the same way.   
“We’re walking the same way,” she observed, raising an eyebrow in his direction, or trying to. She had never been good at doing that.  
“It would seem so. Don’t worry, I’m not following you home or anything, this is the way to my apartment. I just got off of work.”  
“Where do you work?” She didn’t really feel like continuing the conversation they were having, but she felt like it was only polite.  
“I work at a local art exhibit that rotates what it’s showing based on what’s in town. I’m hoping that someday they’ll show some of my work. Un mec peut rêver.”  
“Well, I’m impressed. A job like that means you must’ve done something right. Where’d you go to school?” She asked the question like she had any clue what a good school was in France.  
“I went to The Sorbonne in France. I graduated a little while ago, and somehow I’m back here where I started.”  
“Did you live in Paris when you were younger?” They were walking side by side, jim keeping a respectful distance from her.   
“Yeah, I grew up here. What about you? You must have some pretty impressive accomplishments if you moved here from America.” The last comment threw Juliette off her guard, and Luis must’ve noticed because he explained quickly. “Your accent. It’s pretty obvious that you’re from the U.S.”  
“I went to Columbia with an English Literature Major. Graduated about two weeks ago actually, and now I’m here.” She gestured around and continued talking. “Before I came I applied for a job at some random bookstore that was looking for someone to work there full time, so that’s where I work for now, but I'm hoping to elevate my spot on the social ladder at some point. My story is definitely not as impressive as yours.” They were walking along the Seine River. Its breeze was cooling in the hot summer heat, the street they were on crowded with tourists on their summer vacation, taking pictures and drinking in the environment. Juliette was reeling from all the people that were here. She knew it was going to be crowded, knew that there was going to be people everywhere, and she was used to being in a big city, but it seemed so different. She brushed it off by saying that it was just because there was no one yelling angrily at some random kid.  
She was jolted out of her thoughts by Luis’ response. “I would hardly say that your life is less impressive than mine. Technically I am still where I grew up, which doesn’t generally show a life of success. I feel like I have to ask though. If you aren’t a serial killer who's making a list of your next victims, then what was the writing back there for?”  
Juliette had the decency to blush at his comment. “It’s nothing really. I’ve loved writing since I was an angsty teen in high school, and it’s just stuck with me through my lawless years in college somehow. I never really was able to remember anything after I thought of it in my head, so I started writing it down as soon as I had a thought. You know, as one does.”  
“Makes sense to me. You’ve been writing for a long time, do you have anything published I can find?”  
“God no. I haven’t even started anything for other people to see. Although, I do have quite a few poems that I’ve written over the years. I’m waiting for some big thing to happen in my life before I write a story, or maybe a collection of poems about my very interesting life that I have yet to live. Poems are way easier to write, for me at least. I can focus more on one moment and everything going on in that moment. Way less stressful.”  
“Trè poétique. What are you looking for to write about? Based on what I know about you, which, granted, isn't much, you’re searching someone to fall in love with, or an adventure with an enemy.”  
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not opposed to either one of those things. Hell, maybe both at the same time. There are plenty of men and women out there looking for enemies or lovers, or two in one.” She looked at him, judging his reaction. She didn’t care if people knew about her preference of men and women, and he didn’t seem like the kind of person to care what she liked, so she figured this was the safest way for her to ditch him if he didn’t like it about her.  
His face didn’t change at her statement, and he didn’t seem surprised by it. She didn’t know whether to feel offended or proud.  
“Of course. I wouldn’t expect any less from an aspiring poet.” he joked, a laughing glint in his eyes that Juliette found refreshing.   
There was a brief silence while his storm grey and her forest green eyes met before the pair of them dissolved into a fit of laughter.  
They made quite a duo, him towering over her by almost a foot, laughing on the street and standing apart from each other.  
They were still laughing when they arrived at the street Juliette’s apartment was on. “This is my stop. I would offer for you to come in, but I don’t have anything unpacked which I legit don’t have a reason for besides I didn’t feel like it earlier.”  
“The fact that you don’t know me that well is also part of why you shouldn’t invite me to your house,” he added, flashing her a comforting grin. Juliette didn’t know how to respond to that. He wasn’t wrong, it was just unnerving to hear him say it, and for it to be out in the open.   
“I’m sorry, I’m usually not at a loss for words, but it seems to be happening more and more recently. Maybe I’m just growing more dead inside every day. Or it could be the fact that I moved halfway across the world. Either one.”  
“I’ll vote for the latter, if not for your sake then for mine. I actually live right by here, so if you need help unpacking or need someone to show you around you can just give me a call. Chances are I’m not doing anything.” He reached into his pocket and pulled his phone out, handing it to her.  
“You can put your number in here if you want to,” he said running a hand through his hair, messing it up.  
“Thanks. It’ll be nice to know someone in the neighborhood.” Sne took his phone and entered her number into it. She handed it back to him, breaking into a grin  
“I see you took it upon yourself to enter your name alongside six smiley faces,” Luis looked down at his phone, his eyebrows raised.  
“It’s part of my mysterious aesthetic,” She pointed out to him, poking him in the chest.  
“I guess you could say it’s working then. I’m already wondering your darkest secrets” He looked down at her, raising his eyebrows at her comically.   
“Not gonna happen, Luis. At least, not until I know yours. It’s only fair. Anyway, I have to go, and I'm sure you have lots of things to do, people to disturb, etc.” She reached out her hand and took his hand in hers into a firm handshake.  
“I hope I’ll be seeing you soon Juliette. It was a pleasure meeting you. Who knows, maybe I’ll get to be in one of your poems when you’re famous one day.”  
She grinned, “I like your optimism, Luis.” She walked a few steps away from him, turning around right before she went around the corner to give a lazy grin and a quick wave.  
Once she got around the corner she leaned against the warm brick wall. She pulled out her flowered journal from her back pocket and looked at the words she had written there earlier. With a sigh, she stuffed it back into her pocket and shuffled towards her apartment, in no rush to get home and unpack.

After a few hours of unpacking, repacking, and sitting idly by Juliette was done for the day. She gazed around the small space that she would be living in. It was lit mostly by a large window on one wall. The other walls were painted a light grey, and the living room and kitchen were the first room that you walked into. The farthest wall had two small windows with planters on the outside. They were connected, making the two small rooms seem bigger. She hadn't taken any of her furniture with her from New York, so the rooms were decorated sparsely. She did have a ragged light green couch that looked freshly upholstered and a large leather armchair, both of them a courtesy of the previous owners. Her kitchen counters were almost void of food, but she had a few things around so she could at least make prepackaged food. Juliette had placed a few pictures sitting around on the counters to make it seem more like a home. Her favorite one was a picture of her and her sister at her high school graduation. She was glaring at the camera, annoyed at their mother for taking so many pictures, but her sister, Bree, was looking at Juliette and laughing. Bree had her arms around Juliette’s neck and she was leaning against her. In the background, their dad was jumping to get in the photo. It summed up her family pretty well.   
Just as she was about to start figuring out what she wanted for dinner her phone lit up with a text.  
How’s Paris treating you so far? Text me a picture of your apartment, I want to see the Paris charm.  
The text from Bree sent a pang of panic and doubt through her. Panic that she wouldn’t be able to be in a whole new country on her own, panic that she didn’t speak the language or know the culture, and panic of really being away from her family for the first time. She pushed the thoughts down, forcing herself not to think about them, maybe save them for a later time when she was okay with worrying.   
She took a quick video tour of the apartment, adding comments that she hoped made sense and were marked off as witty and cunning and not sleep deprived.  
She sent back her reply, So far all is good. The apartment is nice… I think it even came with a few mice to help welcome me.”   
Bree’s reply was almost instant. Sounds great. I know it’s getting late there, you should be getting to sleep, and I should probably get going as well.   
Juliette smiled and switched off her phone. Bree and she had always been close to each other, and most people thought that they were just friends, not sisters. They didn’t look much alike. Bree had curly black hair that she wore down to her waist, unlike Juliette’s straight coffee-colored hair. Bree got her hair from their dad, whose parents were from Venezuela. Juliette’s face was dotted with freckles, and she had an angular face with a pointed chin. Bree had clear skin and a strong jaw. Neither one of them was skinny, but they weren’t unhealthy like many people thought. Their body structures cane from their mother, who taught them how to tell people to fuck off when the commented on the parts of her daughters that they couldn’t control. Juliette was short where Bree was tall, and no one had ever called her stunning and elegant like they did with Bree. With Juliette people tended to lean toward complimenting anything but her looks. She knew she didn’t have Bree’s looks, but she had always been okay with the say she looked. She thought she looked good, and she didn’t listen to what other people said. Or she tried to.   
Juliette was content with being the writer in the family. Her mom used to write when she was younger, but she stopped when she got out of high school. Juliette never asked about it.  
Bree always got good grades in math and science and excelled in almost anything she did, but was honestly trash at writing. Her words, not Juliette’s. Juliette got decent grades in most classes, but she had always struggled with science and history. Memorization wasn’t her strong suit, and she never had enough patience to deal with all the laws of science.  
Juliette shuffled down the hall to her bedroom. It was her favorite room in the flat. It had a large window cutout with a cushioned seat. The window opened out onto the street with a view of window planters filled with multicolored flowers and herbs. There was a queen-sized bed with her white and blue quilt on the top, and the walls were deep green. She got the bedframe from a store before she arrived and she had had it delivered to her apartment.   
The best part of the room was the ceiling. One of the previous owners must have been an artist because it was painted to look like the waves. Juliette had never seen the ocean, never been there, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to, but she still knew how to appreciate the art.  
In the corner, there was a small desk with brass legs and a faded black marble top. She had bought it years earlier when she was 16 at a consignment sale that her mom had gone to, and fallen in love with it. Her parents had insisted on flying it over for her, brushing it off and joking that they weren’t going to let her spend all her money sending a desk to Paris.  
It was the only big piece of big furniture that she had kept with her on the move to Paris. She had always considered it the start of her writing career, and she had spent lots of long nights scribbling away at a wrinkled piece of paper.   
She walked over to the tiny bathroom and switched on the flickering light. She turned the shower on and flipped through the music on her phone and played Girl in Red. The water took a while to heat up and she got into the warm spray.   
With the music playing softly in the background, and the warm air from outside coming in through the window, she was content, and she was sure that coming to Paris was a good idea.   
After the shower, she put on a large T-shirt and shorts and started looking around at places that she could get dinner. She didn’t have much food in her apartment, so she thought it was probably for the best that she just ate out.

The next morning Juliette woke up to the sound of people outside starting their day. There was the murmur of people talking to each other.  
The sight made her mind turn, thinking of ways that she could write this down to where it didn’t sound like something you find on a hallmark card. She wrote down what was going on and told herself she would think about what to write later.  
Everything she wrote always sounded way better in her head than it did when she wrote it down. Sometimes, when she actually thought what she wrote was good, she would go back and look at it only to find that it didn’t make much sense and was basic. Little were the times when she was confident that she could make a name for herself in the world.   
If someone told her when she was 12 that she would be living in Paris seeking a career in writing a month after she graduated college she would never have believed you. Growing up all Juliette wanted to be just like her mother, Regina. Regina Maeson was a private tutor of all the rich kids living in New York and all young Juliette ever thought of was teaching kids just like her. But then she grew up and realized that she didn’t really want to be like her mother. She loved her family, but she just didn’t want to end up living in New York with two kids, the highlight of her week being the party at work for Susan’s birthday. She didn’t have anywhere to put all the emotions she was having when she was a teenager hoping to go somewhere else and be something more, so she started writing.  
Her teachers encouraged her to keep writing, so she did. At the time she had an unstoppable desire to have everyone proud of her. She couldn’t stand for someone to dislike her, and she was always cautious around anyone who she could disappoint.   
It always seemed unavoidable to her that she would move away from home. Bree was always the one who was going to stay home and watch after their parents. Juliette got way too claustrophobic with her family much too often to stay in New York. She had assumed before she left that her parents knew she wasn’t going to stay long after college anyway.   
Juliette got dressed in a green t-shirt’ from the top of her suitcase, a pair of ripped black shorts and her pair of high top converse, her traditional attire. She put her hair in a half-up bun and grabbed her keys from the dish where they were.   
The bookstore where she had interviewed online was about ten minutes away, which was one of the main reasons why she picked it. She lived on the cheaper Rive Gauche side of the river. Based on her research it was where most of the books students lived, so it seemed like a reasonable place for her to be based on her low income.   
Juliette started to walk towards the shop, using her phone for directions. She had time before her shift started to grab some breakfast. She had passed by at least three cafés already, so it seemed safe that there would be another one.  
She stopped at the first one she saw and got a coffee with sugar and cream, and some sort of strawberry pastry with a name that she most definitely couldn’t pronounce.   
Arriving at the bookstore, she checked herself in the reflective glass. Her hair was a little frizzy, and her cheeks were red from the heat, but otherwise, she thought she looked decent.  
There was a banner above the store's door that had words in English and French: Escape Bookstore. When she entered a small bell sounded, making whoever was in the store aware of her presence. The bookstore was small. In the front, there were painted postcards and other small tourist trinkets that would catch the eyes of people passing by. The rest of it looked like a normal bookstore, if a little more dusty and weathered.  
“Hi, you must be Juliette. I’m Aahna. I own the shop, so I guess that makes me your boss, but I don’t think we need to worry about any of that awkward stuff hopefully.”  
Juliette didn’t need to know Aahna well to know that she wasn’t someone who got pushed around. She had a square jaw and was tall and lanky, a few inches taller than Juliette. She was wearing a black short sleeved button up, the collar turned upwards. She had on a checkered black and white skirt with light blue flats. Her raven hair was cut close to her head, and it was resting on her head in loose curls. She had clear brown skin that seemed to glow, even in the dim bookstore. She had long elegant fingers and large hands, her fingernails painted dark blue. Her crooked, pearly teeth were hidden behind her red lips.  
Aahna looked Juliette up and down, studying her and sizing her up. “I can’t be that much older then you,” she said, more to herself than to Juliette. “I know I’m probably not what you were expecting. Most people come in here and expect an older woman or man with a weathered face who can’t speak English. Don’t worry, I have more fun than they do anyway.”  
Juliette just stood there, her mouth hanging open for a few seconds before she regained hold of her senses.  
“For some reason I believe you about that.” She looked down at her shoes, her face flushed from the attention she was getting under the gaze of her new boss.  
“Well, nothing good comes out of just standing here. So let me show you around, d’accord?” She didn’t wait for an answer and headed toward the back where there was a small counter in the corner.  
“This is the register, I’m pretty sure you know how it works so I’m not going to go over that,” Aahna motioned to the back of the shop. “That’s where we keep all the extra books and postcards and stuff.”  
“Are those postcards hand painted? They looked like they were up close.”   
“Yeah, I have a guy. He made one for me a couple of years ago, and I asked him if he would paint some more for my shop, and not many people around here are going to pass up on any extra money.”  
Aahna pulled up a chair and perched in it gracefully. She opened a book and started reading, ending any further conversation.  
Juliette walked around the store, examining the books. Most of them were old leatherbacks, and they looked gently used.   
She opened a slightly beat-up copy of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The front cover was inscribed. The inscription said “People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for. Look for the best in the world, and listen for the music. I love you Bubba.”  
Juliette smiled and out the book back on the shelf carefully. She continued looking around, stopping occasionally to look inside books and see the inscriptions.  
“You know, most people read the books, not just look at the inside cover, but by all means continue.”  
“No, I’m just- I like finding things that used to mean something to someone.” She quickly put the book she was holding on the shelf and looked up at Aahna.  
“Relax, I don’t care that much. As long as you do your work it doesn’t matter to me what you chose to do during the downtime in between.”  
Juliette didn’t really know if she should keep walking around, so she leaned against the counter next to Aahna, who was still reading from the book.  
“So your guy, the one who paints for you,, are you two like a thing?”  
Aahna let out a low chuckle. “Definitely not. I haven’t been in a real relationship in God knows how long. I know a few girls that I invite over for some one on one time when I feel like it. And you?” She spoke without looking up from her book.  
“It didn’t seem like a good idea to move to a whole new country and leave a relationship behind, not that I had one to leave behind anyway. I just moved here yesterday, so I don’t really know anyone.”   
Aahna made an affirmative noise in the back of her throat and placed the book on top of the cash register.  
“What’s it like in New York?” She had a bright look in her eyes, and she looked thoroughly interested, but Juliette assumed she had that look about her a lot of the times.  
“It’s loud, expensive, dirty, cold and somehow also hot. There is a hell of a lot of people who would rather be anywhere else but won’t move. It’s super diverse, and you don't really hang out In your flat a lot, and you have to work really hard at everything you do. It was perfect for me and my family growing up, but I wouldn’t want to live there now.”  
“It sounds incroyable. I’ve always wanted to travel around. but I couldn’t really travel around much because of my Aunt.,” she spoke softly, but it didn’t make her sound weak, just tired. “She passed away about a year ago, and I’ve been saving up for a while to see knew places.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry about your Aunt,” she started, “but you’ll love New York if that’s where you have your heart set on going. Really, it’s a great place, if that kind of city is your kind of thing.”  
Juliette and Aahna both looked up, and their eyes met. They smiled at each other before Aahna cleared her throat and reopened her book, turning away from Juliette.  
A few minutes later, Juliette started feeling antsy again, possibly due to the fact that in the past days she had been sitting for what felt like the whole time.   
“So, does anyone else work here, or is just you and me?” She assumed if someone else worked here they would be here by now, or she would’ve seen some trace of them.  
“Yeah, there's Ray. He’ll probably be in later today. I can’t have too many working here even though Paris might be the city of tourists, I think it’s the city of artists like my Aunt always said, but I would call it the city of pigs if it caused people to read more.” She looked up from her book and added, “This probably isn’t the best thing to be telling you on your first day, but peu importe.”  
“That’s where we disagree then. I don’t think Paris is a city of tourists or artists. I think Paris is a city of love-struck fools and hopeless romantics. Everyone here’s looking for love, whether they know it or not.”  
“A keen observation. You’re already speaking like the famous poets that have lived here.” Juliette felt the heat rising to her face, and a small grin formed on her face, and she looked away from her anomalous boss.  
The rest of the day was spent in the bookstore. A few customers came in, but it was mostly uneventful. Juliette went to the restaurant next door to get them some lunch.  
They talked about whatever came up. Juliette learned that Aahna was an only child. She spoke English and French. She lived with her parents in a small town in France until she was 15. Her parents both died in a fire that Aahna only escaped because she could fit through the door, which she brushed over as if it were nothing to her. She had been to Germany and Austria once with her parents, and she had been to Italy with her Aunt, who was apparently rich, but she had never been to America. Her aunt had left Aahna all the money she had when she died. Aahna refused to use this money to go to America, because her aunt had detested America and because she wanted to do it for herself, her sense of pride outweighing her want to go to New York. She was 26 years old and she didn’t go to college. She could’ve if she wanted to, but she didn’t see the point wasting her time learning things for a career that she wasn’t going to have. She had owned the bookstore since she was 23 years old.   
About halfway through Juliette’s shift, Aahna asked her if she could play her music over the speakers. Juliette, not really thinking it was in her place to say no, agreed.   
Juliette was surprised when Taylor Swift’s album Lover started quietly playing in the background. She figured there were going to be lots of surprises with Aahna.  
Raising her eyebrows in Aahna’s direction she commented, “I didn’t peg you for a Taylor Swift kind of person.”  
“Hey, don’t judge me, she’s got some really good stuff. Although, I will admit I’m more of a fan for her later stuff. Country music isn’t really my jam.”  
“I can relate to that. I don’t love the sound of county music either, but I’ve been known to listen to a little bit of Willie Nelson or Dolly Parton.”  
Aahna let out a low chuckle, just as an excited looking family entered the shop. Once they had left, Aahna showed Juliette how to check the inventory, where to put the money from the register at the end of the day, and many other things that she thought Juliette should know about.  
It seemed a pleasant place to work. Aahna was a generally laid back person who didn’t judge people, and she didn’t really care what the people who worked for her were like, which was good for Juliette.   
The rest of the day passed without any problems. It was probably the easiest first day on the job she’d ever had.   
The other guy, Ray, who was supposed to come in never did, but Aahna didn’t seem concerned about it. When Juliette asked about him Aahna explained that he had a young daughter and a busy schedule. Aahna and Ray have been friends for a while, so when he didn’t show up she covered for him, not that it was necessary because she was the boss.  
“So, I’ll see you tomorrow then?” It was around six o’clock and according to Aahna it was time for them to close the shop up for the day.  
“Actually, I might not be here. I have a meeting with some of the other business owners around here, but Ray’s working tomorrow.”  
“Oh, okay,” Juliette stopped just before the door, “Have a nice evening.” Aahna smiled at her and walked out of the room, up a small rotating staircase that Aahna explained led to Aahna’s apartment above the store.  
Juliette stopped by a small convenience store to get some groceries for dinner. She would’ve preferred to eat out, but it was just too expensive and she was already using lots of money by just living in Paris.  
Her apartment didn’t have a TV, so once she made dinner she pulled up Netflix on her laptop and turned on whatever show she wanted to rewatch at the time.  
A quiet night in was just what she wanted. She would never tell anyone, but she actually did miss her family, not that she would admit it.   
The apartment was quiet, her show playing softly from its spot on the arm of the chair. She was curled up under a blanket, eating Ramen from a bowl.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooooooo can’t believe i’m actually posting this ahahah. tell me if there’s any inconsistencies.

In the next few months, Juliette got used to life in Paris. She met a few new people. She met the infamous Ray after a few days working in the shop. Aahna talked a lot about him, and Juliette was nervous to meet him the first time. He was not at all who Juliette thought he would be. He had dark brown skin, and hair cut close to his scalp. He was about Juliette’s height, only being one inch taller. People that got to know him thought he was a gentleman, who was always slightly exasperated with all the shenanigans of the people around him. He had two piercings, a silver ring in his nose and a gold bar in his ear. He was studying to be an engineer, and he worked only on Tuesdays and Fridays, as opposed to Juliette who worked almost every day. Ray was 22 years old, and he had a daughter named after his wife, who passed away giving birth. His daughter's name was Carissa, and he sometimes brought her to work. Aahna always complained when he did, but Juliette could see that she was probably the one who enjoyed it the most. He moved to Paris three years ago from Italy so he could raise Carissa away from a town missing her mom.  
She and Luis texted almost every day, telling each other about their days and sending each other random memes. They had lunch a few times, and dinner once, but she was busy almost all the time now, and he seemed to have things going on in his life as well. The one time they went to dinner it actually ended up being a mess.  
They had met up at some fancy fondue place on the river. She had been wearing a light blue sundress, and she had flowers from her window in her braided hair. Juliette had called Bree to see what she should wear, still not out of the habit.  
When she got there he was already sitting at a table. She wasn’t nervous at all, which problem stemmed from the fact that the two of them had made it very clear that they were not in a date, just going out as friends. She was pleasantly surprised when they ended up talking for almost two hours.   
The first course of cheese fondue went by without a hitch, but when broth fondue came out Juliette poorly misjudged the temperature of the liquid, and somehow burnt her finger pretty badly. If that wasn’t enough, she also spilled chocolate all over Luis’ white dress shirt. She felt horrible even though he just laughed it off casually.   
He walked her home yet again, and he stopped at a small flower store on the side of the street to buy her a bouquet of Marigolds   
“They represent creativity. I figured nothing could hurt to help you with your writing.”  
Blush lightly dusted Juliette’s cheeks as she thanked him quietly. Everything was going fine again until she walked her up to her apartment. She wasn’t worried that she didn’t know him anymore, and they had been at each other’s places a few times, him painting and her writing. He politely passed on her offer to go inside, and he stopped at the bottom of the first flight of stairs. Just as she was reaching over to hug him goodbye, he slipped and fell down about 4 steps, not hitting anything vital, just embarrassing himself.  
Juliette was a little ashamed to admit that before she’d even thought of helping him, she’d started laughing to herself. She thought that she covered it up nicely, but Luis had apparently seen her.  
“I’m sure it looked hilarious. I promise I would’ve laughed at you as well.”  
She worked in the bookstore during the days. She met a few of the locals and the people who regularly came to the shop. Aahna taught her how to run the shop when she wasn’t there, which wasn’t often. She seemed to like hanging out with Juliette, and Juliette wasn’t one to complain. They all got along pretty well, and time passed, uneventful and peaceful. The days passed, and Juliette almost didn't have time to be discontent with her life. Almost.  
She was lying on her bed, hanging over the edge, and scrolling through Tumblr when Aahna called her to ask if she could come to work. It was a random Saturday, and she didn’t have anything to do, so she said yes. She figured that Ray had been scheduled for an extra shift, and he didn’t show up.  
She arrived at the bookstore 10 minutes later. Aahna was nowhere to be found. Juliette put her feet up on the counter and opened the book she was reading at the time, All the Pretty Horses. It was a book her dad had been wanting her to read since she started college. She had read a few books by the author, Cormac McCarthy.  
Juliette heard Aahna walking down the staircase before she saw her. Behind her was a tall red-haired girl. The girl waved goodbye to Aahna and kissed her swiftly on the cheek before exiting, not even trying to hide the bruises that littered her neck, and Juliette assumed other places too. “Call me if you get lonely, Aahna. Hopefully I’ll be able to say no next time.” The girl grimaced while she said it, seeing Juliette in the room. Juliette was pretending not to listen. “That sounded worse than it was. I just mean hopefully I’ve found a nice partner by then.”  
“That’s the dream, isn’t it? Well, I’ll call you later anyway, Célia. Tell your brother I said hi, or tell him I said va te faire fourte. Either work for me.”  
The girl smiled at Aahna. “Goodbye perdante.” She walked by Juliette, rapping her knuckles on the counter. “Watch out for that one,” she warned good-natured, tilting her head on Aahna’s direction. “She’s got a nasty bite.” The woman winked at Aahna and walked out of the store, the bell jingling behind her.  
“She seems pleasant.” Juliette grinned, looking at Aahna who was sitting on her staircase, her forearms leaning on her knees.  
“I’ve known her for a while. She actually grew up in a town by mine, but we never met before we both moved here.”   
Juliette raised her eyebrows at her. “So there’s nothing going on between you? No causal relationship turned fiery love?”  
“There’s like a 3 percent chance of that ever happening,” Aahna scoffed. “What Célia and I have is strictly… physical.”  
Juliette winced at Aahna’s words, which in turn made Aahna break out into laughter, tucking her head into her elbow to stifle the sound. “Why do you ask? Worried someone’s going to steal me from you?”  
“Yeah, you wish Aahna,” Juliette joked, but it fell flat. If Aahna noticed she didn’t say anything.  
Juliette started to open her book again, only to be interrupted by another thought. “Why did you call me in for work anyway? It doesn’t look like you’re too busy or anything.” Juliette implored.  
“Is that why I called you here? Oh well, it doesn’t matter what I said, it matters what we’re about to do,” Aahna was putting books on the shelf and gesturing around, “It has come to my attention that you haven’t actually seen much of the wonderful city that is your host, so I was thinking I could show you around. I texted Ray, and he agreed to bring his petit monstre, so that should be fun as well.”  
“You really don’t have to do that. I’m sure I can find some time to do it when it’s not working hours.”  
“Nonsense. It’s much better not to go alone, and I’ve heard that I’m a very pleasant person to be around, and if I say it isn't working hours, then it’s not working hours.” Aahna was grinning at her and speaking fondly about Carries and Ray, Juliette knew that there was no way she was getting out of this.  
“Plus I already got us tickets to go see the Eiffel Tower and I know you’re not going to let that go down the drain, so get ready,” she said, “Also, the only reason I got Carissa to come was by bribing her with ice cream.”  
Aahna was heading toward the door. She motioned for Juliette to follow her. Once they were outside Aahna turned to face her again.  
“We should get going. The tickets are set for a time in 45 minutes, and I’m pretty sure I can’t get a refund.”  
“Are we walking? Isn’t it kind of far away.” She didn’t know that much about the Tower, but she did know it was on the other side of the river.  
“No, I don’t like walking for that long. We can take the underground train. There’s a station around the corner that can take us right next to the tower.”  
“Perfect.” They started walking in the direction, the chilled fall air whipping through Juliette’s hair and making Aahna’s already tousled hair more messy. Juliette noted that she still looked beautiful.  
“All right. Let's get going then.”  
They boarded the Metro using tickets they just bought and waited for it to start moving. They sat in silence for the first couple of minutes, before Aahna spoke up.  
“You know I should take the train more often. I think it’s soothing, the rattle of the car, the soft noise of people listening to music. Plus, if I make myself look mean enough I can make sure no one talks to me.”  
“I wish I could say that surprised me, but I can honestly see you doing that.”  
“Don’t act like you don’t do that too. I’m pretty sure everyone does that, and if they don’t I at least do.”  
They rode the rest of the way in silence. Juliette has only been on the Metro in Paris once or twice, and she enjoyed how much it reminded her of home, except it was much cleaner and it didn’t smell half as bad.  
Once they were off the Metro they met up with Ray and Carissa. Carissa was excited to see Aahna, and she ran straight away from her dad to give her a hug.  
Aahna rolled her eyes but clung to the child nonetheless. Carissa’s curly brown hair was up in pigtails and she was wearing an outfit that Juliette could only assume was given to her by Aahna. It was a dark green long-sleeved sweater dress, with a blue belt.   
“I assume that outfit was given to her by Aahna?”  
“What gave you that idea,” Ray deadpanned, “I totally went out, on my limited budget, bought my three-year old daughter a 25 Euro outfit.”  
They got in line for security, and we’re through the first gate in about 10 minutes. They skipped one of the lines to get into the elevator, which Juliette was grateful for because it looked like it could take at least 2 hours to get through. The first elevator up is large and full of other people who were excited to see the Eiffel Tower.   
They stopped on the first level to look briefly at the view from here, but the main attraction was at the top.   
Juliette wasn’t scared on heights, but the second elevator was much smaller. It was as rickety, and she was terrified that they were going to fall. But she wasn’t half as scared as Ray. Somehow, Carissa, the three-year-old child was the only one who was completely okay with it   
Ray was holding Carissa in his arms. He had his head tucked into her shoulder and he refused to look up until they made it to the top of the tower.  
Juliette stepped off the elevator and onto the platform. They weren’t outside yet, but once they climbed up a small staircase and they were out in the open.   
Juliette slowly walked toward the edge. There was a thin fence separating the outside air from the tower. She took a moment to appreciate that her first urge wasn’t to write things down in her notebook, but to let the moment speak for itself. She was proud of herself.  
The view was breathtaking. She could see miles of the Paris skyline, it was an exceptionally clear day, and the blue sky was an amazing contrast to the greys and browns of the city of lights.  
“C’est magnifique, isn’t it?” Aahna was leaning against the railing, her eyes scanning the scene before her.  
“It really is. Thanks,” she paused, looking over at Aahna, “Thanks for inviting me to come with you. You really didn’t have to.”  
“Don’t think anything about it. I’m always open to taking friends with me to explore the city for the first time,” she had faulted slightly on the word friends, but her voice was back to its normal slow drawl, “Everybody always gets this look in their eyes like there’s something left for us here. Like maybe, just maybe, if they look hard enough they can find the small part of the good that’s left in our fucked-up world.”  
Juliette just nodded and kept looking out at Paris. She looked over at Ray, who looked slightly less scared, but she could see the hand that was holding Carissa’s small hand was trembling.  
“Hey Ray, if you want we can watch Carissa for a while. You can go down to the elevators, we wouldn't want to make you stay up here against your will.”  
“Thanks, Zo.” He handed his daughter's hand off to Juliette and he walked down the stairs, his grip on the railing turning his knuckles white.  
Juliette picked up Carissa and pointed to a few recognizable famous figures like the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay with help from Aahna.  
They walked around the platform, seeing the view from all angles. Every way had different sights, and it turned Juliette’s mind to think that she had seen so little of Paris.   
Carissa grew bored after about 10 minutes, so they all decided it was probably time to get going to the next spot on their adventure.  
Once they were at the bottom it was about time for lunch, and they all decided to let Ray chose where they ate. Juliette knew Aahna would never admit it, but she felt bad for making Ray go up the elevator. He hadn’t resisted at all, but she still didn’t want to be the reason he had a bad feeling.  
“I don’t care where we go,” he monotoned. His response was met with a groan from Juliette, an annoyed huff from Aahna, and a giggle from Carissa, who saw her opportunity and took it, promptly suggesting that they have ice cream for lunch.  
“I’m down with that if you guys are,” Juliette said while looking around the group. Ray was looking around, not giving any input on what he wanted to do, which seemed like a common thing with him. Juliette figured it had to do with having a young kid. Aahna spoke up first.  
“That sounds good to me, as long as they have cookies and cream, plus I might as well knock out this ice cream debt now.”  
Once they looked up a place that was nearby, the group started walking along, being careful not to lose themselves in the growing crowd of tourists and eager visitors.   
They got their ice cream and sat outside on the curb to eat. The day was getting warmer and there was a slight breeze. The nice weather and the sweet treat combined put them all in a good mood, even Ray, who was usually against any sort of group outings. He always complained he was too old for such things, and Aahna was always ready to retort back that she was older by 4 years. It was an endless cycle of complaining, but Juliette didn’t mind, plus she didn’t know what she expected. The three of them didn’t go out a lot, and when they did it always ended up being fun, not as any of them would ever admit it. Most of the time, when they hung out it was either at the restaurant and bar across the street from the bookstore, or it was at Aahna’s flat above the shop. They only ever hung out at Aahna’s because her flat was the biggest, and it was the middle point of all of their flats.  
“Hey, stingray, aren’t you glad we actually went out to do something today instead of sitting indoors and doing some weird math things.”  
“First off, don’t call me that, Aahna.” This was met with thunderous arguments from Juliette and Aahna, who both had multitudes of nicknames for Ray, “And second, I had no problem with doing anything today. Sí, bambini?”  
Carissa looked up upon hearing her nickname being called but continued eating her ice cream and ignoring the adults as soon as she heard that the conversation wasn’t something she wanted to have any part of.  
They continued their journey by walking through the Sainte-Chapelle. Carissa was less than pleased to go walk through a church, but once they got there and she saw all the colorful patterned stained glass casting rainbow reflections across the room she was awed, but more intrigued by the smooth stone spiral staircase leading up to the top room, getting more than a few complains from visitors. The complaints never actually met Carissa’s ears because Aahna gave every singe person who even looked at her a death stare.  
They took pictures of each other and the stained glass and decided to leave after twenty minutes. As a group, they decided they had time for one more thing before Carissa and Ray had to go to leave.   
“So, the options are The Opera House, which is one of my favorites, The Arc de Triomphe, and of course the-“   
Ray cut Aahna off. “I have an idea, and I think Juliette will like it very much. It’s a poetic place. Plus it’s one of Carissa’s favorites. The Jardin des Tuileries.”  
Aahna’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. She grinned and started walking to the Metro station.   
“What is this place? I’ve never heard of it?” Juliette asked, like it meant anything that she didn’t know where it was. She looked around at the people who seemed to know a lot more about this than her, which made sense.  
“It’s one of Paris’s less-known sites. It’s a garden next to a palace, and it has a bunch of plants and trees and such.”  
“Sounds good to me,” Juliette agreed, following Aahna and Ray, who seemed like they knew where they were going.  
The group got on a train and traveled to the park. They arrived at one of the gardens gates, and as soon as Juliette saw the beautiful park, she felt a smile slowly creep across her face.  
She didn’t even realize she had stopped walking before she felt an arm throw around her neck, dragging her closer to the entrance.  
“This place doesn’t even seem real.” It was true. There were families laughing together, friends lounging under the trees, and kids running around with each other.  
Carissa pulled them around the park, making sure her migliori amici, which Ray said meant best friends.   
They only stayed for about an hour before Carissa started getting tired. Or at least that’s what they told themselves, not wanting to admit that, yeah, they were pretty tired too.  
“Ray, I know you can’t come over due to this little petit ange, but Juliette, you can come over if you want. We can have some of those pastries that Cèlia made. She’s an excellent baker.”  
Upon hearing this, Carissa looked hopefully up at her father. They had a conversation in Italian, Ray’s native language that he had taught Carissa, who spoke English as well. Juliette didn’t understand much of it, but she caught pieces of it due to her Spanish speaking skills.   
“Mi Tesoro has gone ahead and made the decision that we will be joining you two for pastries and juice.”  
“I don’t remember offering juice, but I’m sure I can find something to suffice for my favorite little gremlin,” Aahna said this while picking up Carissa and placing her on her shoulders. Carissa giggled and held onto Aahna’s head.  
“Then to my apartment we go,” she announced, still carrying Carissa on her shoulders.  
“Carissa is definitely not making it all the way to the apartment without falling asleep. I give her 15 minutes at most,” Ray observed, looking at his friends fondly.  
“I don’t know, she loves being with Aahna. The two of them live off each other’s chaotic vibes. It almost scares me.”  
“Maybe, but it’s almost 18:00, and she’s been doing things almost all day.”  
“You say that like it’s something new for her. I swear, that kid has enough energy to light up all of Paris for weeks.”  
“Qualsiasi cosa tu dica, Zo.”  
“I don’t really know what you said, but I think it’s something that means I’m right so I’ll just go with it.”  
They arrived at the bookstore about 30 minutes later. They had chosen to walk so they could use off any extra energy they had leftover from the park, but every single one of them, except Carissa who was being passed around the three adults, was dead tired on their feet.  
“Whose idea was it to walk anyway,” Juliette complained, trudging up the stairs and holding Carissa in her arms. She didn’t know how she had started carrying her, but at this point, she didn’t even want to try to remember.  
“It was most definitely your idea,” was Ray's quick reply. He didn’t seem tired, but Juliette could see that he was leaning on the wall to get off of his aching feet. They went up the stairs, Aahna and Juliette trudging behind Ray.  
“There aren’t even that many stairs. You idiotes are just really out of shape.” Ray was ahead of them by a few steps, not quite as tied as the two of them.  
“And you are Mr. Engineer?”  
“Not at all. I’m just used to staying up late. Plus I’ve had like 4 coffees today, half of them were after 5 o'clock, so yeah, I’m all set.”  
They all collapsed on the two sofas in Aahna’s living room. Carissa was curled into Aahna’s arms. Aahna was stroking Carissa’s unruly curls gently, and Juliette could’ve sworn that she could hear her humming softly.   
“I’m going to make some tea with lots of caffeine, anyone else wants some?” Ray was rustling around in the kitchen, supposedly looking for tea.  
“Good luck there, Mon Amie. I hardly have any food. I doubt you’ll find enough sugar for all of us.”  
“Aahna, not all of us take una tonnellata di merda of sugar in our tea. I like mine plain. Like Juliette.”  
“I don’t know if you’re saying I’m plain or I like my tea plain. Neither one of those is true, but I sincerely hope you’re referring to the latter.”  
“Say what you want to say about me. The tea is in the top cabinet above the sink. Be careful, some things might fall out when you open the cabinet. I don’t remember where I put anything, but I think one of those cabinets has too much stuff in it. Last time I ended up dropping things all over my head.”  
“So you dropped stuff on your head, and then put all the things back in the same cabinet?” Aahna nodded along as he spoke. I honestly don’t know how you live like this. It’s always such a mess. This is schifoso.”  
“Don’t judge me for my living condition. I’m perfectly happy with the way I live which is more than most people can say. Again, I’m going to reference Juliette.” Ray murmured thanks from the kitchen, finally finding the mugs and tea bags.  
“I don’t even know what that’s supposed to mean, and I don’t particularly want to know. Unless you have some eep insight into my life that I should know about. I thinkI’m the only one who should be complaining about myself,” Juliette called from her spot on the floor. She hadn’t even made it to the open armchair.   
“That’s definitely not true. You complain and me and Ray all the time. To our faces. You’re not a very subtle person,” Aahna noted, shifting under the weight of Carissa.  
“Good. I’m not known for my subtlety, I would hate for my reputation to be tarnished by inconsistency,” Juliette expressed, settling into the corner of the couch. Aahna rolled her eyes and gave Juliette a pointed look.  
“Yes, your world famous reputation.”   
“Just drink your tea and try not to fall asleep,” Ray said while he was walking in with a tray full of mugs, sounding exasperated with Juliette and Aahna’s playful bickering.  
“No promises Raymond,” mumbled Aahna. Carissa was curled into her, fast asleep.  
“You know that’s not actually my name, right? It’s important to me that you know that. And, it’s your guy’s fault that I’m the one who has to carry her home now.  
“She could just stay here with me. Or Juliette could take her home.” This was met with wild protests from both Juliette, who wasn’t fond of carrying Carissa home, and from Ray. who wasn’t keen on letting Aahna take care of Carissa.  
“I don’t think that’s a great idea, due to the fact that you have almost no food here, or, it seems, any other important necessities.  
“I bet we could take care of her for one night,” said Aahna, offhandedly. “It’s not like it’s hard or anything,” she joked, winking at Ray.  
“Oh yeah? I don’t think that’s a good idea, but ma cosa so, I’m just her father.”  
“Ce n'est pas forcément vrai,” cried Aahna, overdoing her outrage. “It may seem like I don’t know how to do a lot of things, but I’m not completely useless. I just prefer not to do the things that would show that I can take care of myself. Just because I don’t like to cook doesn’t mean I can’t, and I took care of my aunt when she was sick. See, I know how to take care of people. I think I made a pretty good point. Right, Juliette?”  
“Hell yeah, I would. I’ll never pass up an opportunity to watch Aahna try to do normal things around the house, even if she knows how,” She added, shooting a smile towards Aahna.   
“Mio Dio, you guys really want to do this, don’t you? I’ll think about it. Maybe I’ll let you at some point.”  
“Aw, come on man, let us have a sleepover with your daughter. It'll be fun!” Juliette and Aahna looked at Ray hopefully.   
Resigned, he finally spoke up, “I guess she can stay with you for one night. But that night is not tonight. If I’m putting my daughter in the hands of you two idiots then it’s not going to be tonight. I’ll at least make a night out of it.”  
“I guess that makes sense, but you still have to promise that you’ll let us do it at some point, so I can legally hold you to your word.”  
“Okay, okay. You guys are the most immature people I’ve ever met. Also, I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.”   
“Thank you Ray. We will try and not let you down..” Aahna said, sipping her tea. She spilled it down the front of her shirt, and the liquid ran down onto Carissa’s shirt, which Aahna tried to discreetly wipe away.  
“This is a great start to taking care of her,” Ray observed dryly, taking Carissa from Aahna’s arms and carrying her to the door, “I’ll see you perdentis later.”  
“Au revoir, Ray. We’ll see you when you decide you want a break from the toll of fatherhood. Or when you finally get a date. Mayne bring home a nice girl.” Ray scrunched his nose to hide the blush growing on his face.  
“See you Tuesday, dude. We can pick a good day for us to take Carissa for the best night of her life.” Juliette said this, accompanied by a lazy salute in his direction.  
“You guys are not putting a lot of confidence in yourselves. I don’t really know how you’ve gotten this far. In anything.”  
“I think it is time for you to leave Ray. Your daughter looks like she’s going to fall over at any moment if you don’t get her home soon,” Aahna responded, ignoring Ray's comment.  
“Thank you, Aahna, for the parenting advice. I’ll keep it close to my heart, along with all times you’ve called me such nice things.”  
“I hardly know what you’re referring to, I’ve been told I’m an incredibly pleasant person.” Ray turned to give Aahna a look and give Juliette a quick wave. They could hear him mumbling under his breath in Italian on the way down.  
“So.. it’s just us now,” Juliette pointed out, taking her and Aahna’s mug to the sink to wash them.  
“Yep,” she said, popping the p, “Any ideas of what to do until it’s late enough for me to justify going to sleep?” Aahna raised her eyebrows at Juliette, waiting for an answer.  
“Haha, very funny.” Aahna just kept smiling. Aahna’s phone rang from the other room. She groaned and went to take the call in the kitchen. She walked back in considerably less joyously than before. Aahna was murmuring under her breath and French, the smile gone from her face.  
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Juliette never saw Aahna express any negative emotions, unless she was mad or joking.  
Aahna didn’t answer, and she started pacing around the small room. Abruptly, she stopped and sat down in the middle of the floor. She put her hands in her head, and Juliette could see her breathing was uneven.  
“Hey, talk to me. It’s okay, you’re okay.” She seemed to calm down a bit, and Juliette cautiously approached her, crouching down next to Aahna.  
“Who was it on the phone?” Juliette didn’t have a lot of experience with people crying, and she didn’t exactly know what to do, but she thought that she could help more if she knew what was going on.  
Aahna took some deep breaths before answering the question, her voice even and strong, not affected by her outward expression.  
“It was one of my Aunt's friends. Apparently she didn’t get the news that my Aunt passed away, so she called her a few times and didn’t put two and two together, so she called me. It wouldn’t bother me so much if I didn’t have to be the one to tell her that she’s dead. It’s never an easy thing to say, but I feel like I’ve said it so much that it doesn’t mean anything anymore when I say it. Sometimes I’ll think about it and start crying and not be able to stop, but when I’m telling people about it it’s like I can’t make the words hurt anymore.”  
Juliette took time to configure an answer, making sure that she said what she thought and not just what Aahna wanted to hear. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. We’ve all lost someone, and eventually we have to move on. Sure, some of us move on faster than others, but it’s been a year since you lost your aunt. I think that’s an okay period of time for you to be able to say it out loud that she’s gone and not cry. You’re always going to have times when you are hurt by remembering, especially if you don’t let yourself feel the hurt in other times.”  
Aahna didn’t say anything, but she did sit up and scoot so her back was towards one of the walls, her ankles crossed in front of her, her arms crossed in front of her chest.  
“I just feel like if it stops hurting it means I've stopped caring, that I’ve let her go,” she whispered, and Juliette’s heart ached at the broken look on her face.  
“I don’t think that’s true. You feel the pain less, but it’s still there. It’s my belief that we just get more used to the pain of living and losing as time goes on.”  
“You’re a poet. What are you going to do to help me?” If Juliette weren’t looking at Aahna, she would’ve thought she was joking.   
“An, I can preach about love and life and death all I want, but it doesn’t change people's minds, and it won’t change yours. From my experience words are one of the most helpful things out there, so I’ll try to use them to help you. I think it’s not easy letting ourselves move on from someone, especially if that person is gone because it feels like we’re giving up on them, but that’s not what moving on is. Moving on is acknowledging that that person isn’t with you anymore, and knowing you need to remember them for the things they loved and hated. What made them tick.” Juliette looked at Aahna, searching her face for a reaction to her words.  
Aahna didn’t talk back, and she put on a smile that was probably fake, but Juliette assumed that if she wanted to continue talking she would. Juliette knee what it was like to not want to talk about what was going on. and she wasn’t going to push Aahna to talk to her.   
“I think it’s time for you to go.” Juliette would’ve been offended if she was in any other situation with any other person, but she knew that Aahna needed some time alone.  
“Okay. I might stop by tomorrow before work. I’ve been looking for something new to read. Those Cassandra Clare books looked great and I’ve been meaning to read something by her anyway. My sister loves her books.”  
Aahna nodded and slipped inside the door to her bedroom, shutting it gently behind her. Juliette turned to walk home. She was hit by a wave of tiredness as soon as she got outside the door, and it seemed to run deeper than her body. She liked helping people, and she could only hope she had helped Aahna. She had a feeling that she hadn’t helped. If Juliette had been the one feeling like that she didn’t think the words she said would be what she wanted to hear.  
She continued her walking, lost in thoughts about this and that, but mostly about Aahna. She seemed to be thinking about Aahna a lot lately. Juliette rounded the corner onto her street, her head down, her eyes trained on her shoes.  
“Lost in thought, Juliette?” Juliette cursed softly and looked where the voice has been coming from  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” It was Luis. He was sitting in a window next to her, his feet propped up on the edge in the window, crossed at the ankles. He was holding a leather-bound journal in one of his hands and a graphite pencil in the other.  
“You look bothered. Is everything okay?” He was leaning out through the window, at the same height as Juliette.  
“Oh, yeah I’m fine. My friend… or boss… or whatever you want to call it. Nothing too serious, though. I hope.” Juliette didn’t know how to tell him about Aahna. It’s not like Aahna was an extremely private person, but no one really liked to be talked about. Especially if   
She didn’t realize how close they were until she forced herself to back away. He cleared his throat and backed away from her as well, the two of them not looking each other in the eye. Juliette didn’t know why the world seemed to be pushing them together, but she knew it made her want to pull apart, run away.  
“Ah, well I’m sure you gave them excellent advice. In my experience, it’s always better to get a friend’s perspective rather than your own. We’re always so unfair and judgmental with ourselves.”  
“I disagree with that one. I think we’re the only ones who can probably judge ourselves. Who else knows us as well as we do?” Luis smiled softly and let out a small chuckle.  
“It seems as if you’re the more knowledgeable one in the topic of truth and being aware of oneself. Although, you are the poet. Who I am to challenge you.”  
“Obviously I’m the more poetic, but I would like to see what you’re working on,” she said while gesturing to the art in his hands.  
“This? Ce n’est rien. It’s just something I’ve been working on. You may look if you want,” he suggested quietly.  
He handed the canvas over to him, and she took it carefully in her hands. It was a pencil sketch of the street he was looking out on. It looked almost like a photograph, but it had more of a dreamy appearance to it. Everything looked just how it was in real life, except there was a girl and a boy sitting together on the sill of one of the windows the girl was reading from a book and the boy had a book in his lap, but he was staring at the girl.   
“It’s not- I’m not finished with it yet, but this is what I have so far,” he stammered, searching her face for what she thought.  
“Who are these people?” She asked while pointing to the boy and the girl.  
He was quick to answer, “They’re no one. You know, just made up from mom esprit as most amateur artists do.”  
His accent is much more pronounced when he’s nervous. I should try to make him nervous more often.  
“Of course. That just makes it even better. I think it’s more impressive to come up with something to copy it. God knows not enough people come up with things on their own. Seriously though, it’s wonderful. You can really do something with this.”  
“You really think so?” His eyes were lit up with hope and something else that Juliette wasn’t sure about.  
“Definitely, dude. You’ve got some real talent. The world needs more artists like you in my opinion. There aren’t enough people who try like you do.”  
“Merci.” He looked a little shocked for a second, but he soothed his face back into his normal look of passing amusement.  
“I should get going. I have an assigned time to call my mom every Saturday because apparently I’m an immature adult who can’t remember to call.”  
“Are you an immature adult who can’t remember to call your mother?”  
“Well,” she joked, “I always remember to call.” She gave him her most charming smile and tried to walk away smoothly, but she tripped on a ragged stone in the sidewalk and stumbled, not quite falling.  
“I just did that to show you that I’m not perfect. I hope it worked.” Juliette kept her head down, not wanting for him to see how embarrassed she actually was.  
“Fret not, chère, your perfection in my mind has not been lessened.” He graciously didn’t say anything more as she walked away, taking extra care not to trip again.  
Smooth Juliette, real smooth.  
Juliette unlocked the door and pushed herself up on the counter. Kicking her feet and stalling to call her mom, she listened to a song that her sister wanted her to listen too.  
Finally, when she couldn’t justify doing anything else to get out of it, she hit her mom’s icon on her phone. It rang three times before she heard her mom’s chipper voice through the speaker.  
“Hey, Juliette. How are you? Anything good happened to you this week?”  
“Yeah, actually. I finally got to go see the Eiffel Tower. It was amazing, I can send you some pictures if you want.”  
“Juliette, that's great! Now that you’ve seen what you went to see you can come back home to New York!” It hurt Juliette to hear her mom’s true excitement over the fact that Juliette could be coming home.  
“Mom, we’ve been over this. I’m coming home when Bree decides to drag my ass back to New York.”  
“I don’t understand why you have to be so difficult. Is it asking too much from a mother that her daughter is less than 9 hours away? I really don’t think I ask much of you considering I raised you.” She could hear her mom’s disappointment, and could almost see the face she had so often made at Juliette.  
“Mom, you can’t use it over my head that you did your job as a parent. When you have a kid it is your responsibility to raise, feed, and clothe them. You can’t do that.” His mom sighed and Juliette could picture her rubbing her temples.  
“You don’t get to rant to me about raising a child until you get your life together. It was hard enough to watch you graduate with a degree in something so unhelpful, but now it just seems like you’re trying to tear out family apart with your immaturity and childish nature.”  
“Gee mom thanks. I always wanted to know what you thought, and now I’m sure. It’s great to hear you tell the truth.”   
“Please don’t take that time with me, Juliette Jane. I’m still your mother and I just want what’s best for you.”  
“Mom, you may be my mother, but you don’t know what’s best for me and you’ve never tried to get to know me.”  
“Maybe if you were more like your sister-“  
“Are you kidding? You can’t be serious right now. I’m not Bree, mom! I’m just not, and you need to learn how to accept the fact that I don’t want to have that kind of life. I’m not going to settle down. I’m not going to live in New York with the rest of the family. I live in Paris. I’m writing poems and I’m finally making friends for myself .”  
“If you’re talking about those dirty underground Parisians then I think you’re wrong. There’s no way that you can actually be with them. Juliette, they’re not your friends.  
“Mom, we’re not in the 1900s. You can’t just keep insulting people. I’m not going to change my friends just because they’re not at your level.”  
“Maybe you should establish a level of your own. You deserve friends that can treat you right to friends whose neighborhoods that you when you walk through them you won’t get murdered. Juliette, I’m just looking out for you.”  
“You know what? I should go now.” Juliette’s voice didn’t leave any room for her mom to argue back  
“Juliette, wait-“ she hung up the phone and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She leaned her head back against the worn wool and breathed deeply.  
Just then there was a small crash from the bedroom. Juliette jolted out of her self-deprecation and trudged to the bedroom.  
What the heck?” There was a cat sitting on her bed, giving her a look that could be known as anything but smug.  
“How the hell did you get in here?” She walked over and sat on the bed. The cat-eyed her wearily, but it still stayed in its spot.  
“Do you have a name?” She sighed and slowly reached out to pet the black and white cat. It looked skinny and slightly beaten down. It was a girl cat, and it had blue-green eyes.  
“You know, I’ve never had a cat before. This could be fun, right. You just need a name. You kind of look like you’re wearing a suit, and I’m not one to pass up an opportunity to name anything after a character, so how about Bond?”  
The cat didn’t respond and just kept sitting there.   
“Well I’m not hearing any complaints from you, so Bond it is.” She picked up Bond and moved him closer to her. It lasted about three seconds before Bond jumped down and padded around the flat.   
“Of course, I finally get a pet after 10 years of begging, and it turns out to be a self-centered little bastard. No offense, Bond.”  
“Today’s been a pretty shitty day, hasn’t it Bond. Well, for me. I don’t know what your life was like before, but maybe I can help you.”  
She didn’t have anything better to do, so she just walked around, following the cat. It probably wasn’t the best use for her time, but she didn’t really care.  
The cat found a resting spot on the arm of the couch and Juliette decided to sit next to her new companion, only because she was bored and she hoped that something would happen.  
She had her journal beside her and decided to start writing whatever she felt like. Juliette didn’t do this often because the poems she wrote when she did write like this always ends up being about love, and she was tired of coming up with stories about something she didn’t necessarily know that much about in the first place.   
They always started out well. She didn’t even need to try to think about what she was writing, and it was completely liberating.  
She didn’t keep track of time when she got into this mood. She could’ve sat there for 5 minutes or two hours and it all would’ve felt the same.   
She got into fits like this and nothing seemed important except what she was writing. Her mind was completely focused, and she didn't even have to think before she wrote.  
By the end of her fit of writing, she had a few short stories about random things and a poem that she thought was pretty good at the time. Later when she looked back on it she would see all the word choices that she could make better and the phrases that she could add to make it better.  
“Not bad, right Bond? Bond?” She hadn’t noticed earlier when she was writing, but Bond had left out the window. She wasn’t really concerned because he was a cat and based on what she knew about cats she didn’t need to be.  
She looked up from her work and saw that it was morning. Checking the time, she saw that it was almost 7:00, and she had to get to work in 15 minutes. Aahna wouldn’t be mad if she was late, but Juliette didn’t want to be late. Her mother had her flaws, but she engraved it in Juliette’s brain to always be on time.  
She put on the first clothes that she found laying around. She ran a brush through her hair and looked at herself in the mirror.   
She had dark circles under her eyes, and she had spots of acne on her face. The one hair she had that was always curled above her eyes was sticking up more than usual. It wasn’t the best look she’s ever had, but it would have to do.   
She ran out of the apartment, skipping steps on the way down. She made the 15-minute walk in about 7 minutes and arrived just before she was late.   
“Hey,” she gasped, trying to get some air in her burning lungs. She was surprised to see Aahna sitting in one of the chairs out front, sipping a glass of chilled white wine. Her legs were crossed and she was leaning back gracefully. She looked the part she played, down to the gleaming shine in her polished shoes and her chipped nail polish.  
“You look like shit.” She didn’t look fazed in the slightest as Juliette’s appearance. She took a small sip from her glass and placed it down on the table.   
“That’s a fun way to be greeted.” Juliette was trying to find traces of the broken woman she had seen last night, but all she could see was the normal, sanguine Aahna.  
“Yeah, I was up all night writing. Somehow I kind of missed the part where I was supposed to go to sleep. Also, I got a cat somewhere along the way.”  
“Spoken as a true poet Sounds like a night full of progress and achievements.” Aahna half smiled and looked at her. Juliette blushed slightly and looked down at the ground.  
“So, do I get to hear these writings that stole your much-valued sleep?” Juliette was shocked. No one ever asked to read what she wrote, they were always content worth knowing that she did it.   
“I mean, only if you want to. You don’t have to. I wouldn’t want to force you into reading anything.”  
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to hear it. So come on, out with it. Let me hear your newest crèation.”  
Juliette pulled out her journal and started reading. She started off shakily but grew more sure and confident. She wasn’t used to sharing her poems or stories with people, but she didn’t hate it.  
“You can always find people searching for love.  
It’s the glint in their eyes when they talk to someone,  
And the hope behind their smile when that person listens.

You can see the way they force their hands not to linger,  
Or fight the urge to tuck that stray strand of hair behind their ear.  
It’s not hard to find those people in a crowd.

They force themselves to laugh quieter,  
To smile brighter, to hold their chin up higher,  
And to stand up straighter

Even the people in the world,  
Who have already found their one true love,  
With a picket fence and three kids,  
Do these things.

Everyone is looking for more things,   
More smiles, more laughs,   
More people to hurt and hate,  
And above all,  
More love.

Even you do it,  
You can deny it all you want,  
But whoever you are,  
You’re looking for something in people,  
And you will find it.”

Juliette looked up at Aahna, searching her face to see what she thought of it. If Aahna was impressed, or if she had any reaction to it all Juliette couldn’t tell. She looked at Juliette, not a trace of any emotion on her face. Then she smiled and it was the most relieved Juliette had ever felt. She never thought much about if she wanted her friends to approve of what she did, but now that she was sharing with her friend she realized that she did care a lot. “That’s some deep stuff, Zo. You got someone in mind when you wrote this?” Aahna raised her eyebrows jokingly. Juliette, never being good at hiding things, just looked away from her and started putting some new books on the shelves.  
“Oh mon Dieu, you do! You have to tell me who it is. Come on Juliette, I told you stuff last night, you owe it to me to tell me who it is.”  
“That’s a cheap move An, but I guess you're right,” Aahna smirked and leaned back in her chair, getting ready for the big news.  
“I don’t think I have to remind you that I’m usually right. So who is this mademoiselle ou monsieur.”  
Juliette took a few deep breaths, and started talking, “They’re an artist, and completely charming. Obviously they’re taller than me, and they are from here.”  
“Seriously. That’s all you’re going to tell me? Where’s the juice, where’s the drama, where the pizazz?”  
“Aahna, not everything’s a romance novel. We met at a café on the river, and we’ve had lunch three times and dinner once.”   
“Sounds boring. If I were to write a poem about someone, they would be special. There would be sparks flying everywhere.”  
“Who says there aren’t sparks?”  
“You’re right, it’s not my place to judge. So then, tell me when did you first kiss l’inséparable?  
“We haven’t technically kissed yet, although we did almost kiss once yesterday.” Juliette explainer slowly, a dreamy edge in her voice.  
“You’re in the deep end now, Zo. You’ve totally got it for this guy that you haven’t even had a kiss with. What if he’s a sucky kisser?”  
“I think I can manage a sucky kisser. I’ve got more than enough experience of kissing for the both of us.”  
“Oh, really? Have you been sneaking around with people behind all of our backs? Please tell me you’ve been hooking up with Ray or something.”  
“First of all, of course, I haven’t hooked up with Ray, and secondly, in high school, I wasn’t the most forward person with relationships. I definitely had more than a few ‘partners’ at one point.”  
“Interesting. Why did you give up this lifestyle of hooking up and fooling around.”  
“I grew up and went to college. Left behind a few broken hearts, but you know how it goes sometimes.” Juliette was holding back a laugh and looking at Aahna with a joking twinkle in her eyes.  
“Haha, very funny. I hope you had joy making fun of my lifestyle and my life choices. I’m going to go into the corner and cry now.” Aahna said in a dramatic tone, flinging herself down onto the ground.  
“Must you be so dramatic? You’re going to get your fancy white suit-thing all dirty. You wouldn’t want that.”  
“My softness for high-end fashion in my one true weakness and you know it,” Aahna sighed, dusting herself off and leaning against the wall.  
“Yeah, yeah whatever, Lucy.” Aahna gave her a confused look, and Juliette gaped at her lack of understanding.  
“I Love Lucy? The show? Have you not seen it?”   
“No Juliette, I haven’t seen it because I’m not 80 years old. I live in the 21st century and I’m here to welcome you to it.”  
“Are you done yet? Cause I’m not the one who wears suits designed for a rich lonely millionaire.”  
“I feel like we need to clear the air with what I wear. They are custom-designed to fit me, and they are the highest of style in Paris, which may I add, is where you live. So, please continue making fun of my clothes. Your jokes only fuel my self-confidence and spirit.”  
“Okay, okay. By the way, I love the way you dress. If I wasn’t so self-aware I would dress just like you. I’ll just stick to my jeans and old t-shirts.” Aahna gave her a once over and hummed quietly.  
“I might actually have some old clothes that would fit you. Nothing expensive, of course, but there are a few shirts and vests and such.”  
“No, I really don’t need any clothes. I have plenty of clothes that I don’t wear already. Plus, when would I ever wear anything that you wear.”  
“You don’t need an occasion to look nice. You could simply dress up to impress a certain someone. Or, of course, you could dress up just for yourself. God knows I’ve done that a million times before.”  
“Thanks for the offer, but no,” Juliette started, but Aahna had already started to walk away, “Where are you going?”  
“You’re no fun. It’s a good thing I’m here to lighten things up a bit. I have a dress that I think will fit you perfectly, and I know just when you can wear it.”  
Juliette followed her up the stairs, leaving the shop unattended, which wasn’t the best idea, but when Aahna got an idea it was almost impossible to stop her.   
“What the hell, Aahna. When would I ever wear this? It’s a freaking ball gown. I can’t really go around the town wearing this.  
“Why not? It’s Paris, no one will care. You might actually be some money off of that Touristique. Anyway, I know when you can wear it. There’s a ball that I think you would enjoy going to. I would go, but I have a conflict that night. You could invite your little friend to write poems about as well.”   
“A ball? You have to be kidding. No one goes to balls now. They don’t even exist anymore.”  
“You are very wrong about that. There are many balls in Paris. People just don’t talk about them. If you spend your evening at a ball dressed up in clothes from the 1800s would you be telling all of your friends? No, you would not.”  
“Okay, assuming that you're not making all of this up, why would you have an invitation to a ball anyway? Oh wait, let me guess. From one of your ‘friends.?’”  
“No, I actually got it from one of my aunt’s friends. She loved going to these with her friends and she always made me go with her. Had something to do with showing me off or something.”  
“I can believe that.” They were upstairs in Aahna’s flat now. Aahna has a spare room that was basically a closet for two reasons. One because it kept all her clothes and two because it was a tutor size of a closet, like many places in Paris.  
“It should be here somewhere. I wore it once, to make my aunt happy, but it wasn’t really my style. Much to… frilly.”  
“Ah yes, God forbid you to wear anything feminine.”  
“You sound like my aunt. The word feminine is relative. I wear feminine things, simply because I am a woman, and I wear s clothes made for a woman. So what if they aren’t pink or they don’t have bows. They are my version of feminine.”  
“Sorry, seems like a sore subject. I won’t mention it again.”  
“No it’s fine,” Aahna dismissed her with a small wave, “I’m just tired of people treating me like I’m less than any other woman because I prefer different clothes. Not that I care that much about what they think, but I know other people that care too much about what others think, and I try to be mindful about them.”  
“Always the saint Aahna. Always the saint.” Juliette was looking through a box of old clothes filled with random articles. She was pretty sure she found about 9 different feather boas. Why anyone would need even one boa was beyond her, but she wasn’t going to question it anymore.  
“Found it.” Aahna pulled out a floor-length black gown. The skirt billowed out at the waist and fell in waves to the golden trim which lined the bottom. It had thin black lace strap sleeves and an open back.  
“Why do you have this?” Juliette was still trying to understand what was going in the first place, and the stunning dress wasn’t helping at all.  
“Why not? I think every girl should have an emergency ball gown. You never know when it could be useful. I never would’ve been able to go to Peru if I didn’t have my backup ball gown with me.”  
“What does that even mean? You know what, never mind. I feel like that’s a story that should be told at another time.”  
“Good idea. I’m not nearly drunk enough to tell that story the right way. Anyway, it doesn’t fit me, I’m too tall for it, so it’s all yours for the taking.” Aahna was holding the dress up against Juliette’s frame.   
“It might need to be shortened just a little, and the sleeves need to be taken in, but that’s nothing Carlos can’t handle.”  
“Do I want to know who Carlos is?”  
“Relax Zo, he’s just my tailor. He’s one of the best, so he should be able to get this done in time.” Aahna was hurriedly typing on her phone and putting the boxes back where there were before.  
“I’m just going to roll with it at this point. Where and when is the ball that I am definitely going to.”  
“The bull that I’m making sure you go to is in two weeks and it’s at this beautiful underground venue. I’ve been there a few times, and it never ceases to amaze me. Maybe you can even write about it. The owner of the venue loves some good poetry. If he likes it maybe he’ll introduce you to some of the higher up people from Paris.”  
“You’re crazy if you think I’m sharing anything I wrote with a complete stranger. It was hard enough sharing it with you.”  
“Maybe it will be easier with someone you don’t know. You can never be sure u less you try it. This could be the thing to get your career as a writer started.”  
“You sound like my mom.” Juliette was running her fingers along the delicate creases of lace and the smooth bump of pearls in the bosom of the dress.  
“Good. It’s about time someone started sounding like your mom.” There was an awkward silence for a few moments that was interrupted by the soft chimes that let them know there was a customer in the shop.  
“I’ll get it. You can stay up here and finish up with these boxes.” Juliette stomped down the stairs and was met with a young Asian woman with straight blight pink hair and a serious face.  
“Hello, I’m Juliette. Is there anything I can help you find or are you just browsing?” Juliette used her best customer service voice, which always ended up sounding slightly annoyed.   
“I’m actually looking for the manager of this store. Is she here? I’m her lawyer, Olivia Lilton.” The woman had a soothing British accent.  
“Oh, she should be down in just a few moments. Do you want me to take a message or something?”  
“Could you just tell her I stopped by? I don’t have a lot of time before I go overseas for a client. Tell her that I need her to call me as soon as she can.” The woman spoke quickly, but she didn’t seem to be concerned or flustered by the news she had for Aahna.  
“Yes, of course, I can. Is there something she should know about? Is there something wrong?” The woman looked her over and pursed her lips in a sort of grimace.   
“I don’t suppose I can convince you to mind your business and let me leave this charming little bookstore in peace?”  
“Yeah, that’s not really going to happen. Whatever you were going to tell her you can tell me, I’m her friend.”   
“Brilliant. It’s great to meet you, my client’s friend. Look, I don’t really care how she gets the message, just tell her that her aunt’s money and will are finally all settled and she can come to the bank to pick up the rest of her assets.”  
“Thanks, I’ll be sure to tell her. Let me write your name down real quick. What was it again?” Juliette got the information and went back up to tell Aahna the news


	3. Chapter Three

“My lawyer? Why the hell would my lawyer be here?” Aahna was lounging in the armchair by the window, looking out of it dramatically.   
“Maybe if you would let me finish the story without being interrupted would tell you why your lawyer was here.”  
“Yeah, well it’s a shame I wasn’t there to see her. She’s always been pretty. One of the reasons why I hired her.”  
“Why am I not surprised to hear that you hired someone just because you think that they’re pretty.”  
“How your words hurt me,” Aahna emphasized, “I would never hire someone just for that reason. She also has an impressive resume and lots of higher class clients.”  
“Anyhow, Mrs. Lilton came to tell you that all of your aunt's things are all arranged and that you should call her as soon as possible.”  
“Wait, she gave me her number. I didn’t even meet her yet.” Aahna looked surprised and excited. It was something Juliette hadn’t seen before, but she could get used to it.  
“An, she’s your lawyer. She gave you her number because you are her client. She’s not one of your pickups.”  
“Of course not. I’m simply adding that I now have her number, and hypothetically I can call her when I want to.” Aahna was almost glowing. Juliette would’ve thought she was feverish if she didn’t know what Aahna was going on about.   
“I still don’t think you really understand, but at this point, I’m going to just keep going with it. You seem happy, so it works for me.”  
Aahna smiled and continued looking out the window, singing herself a soft French lullaby as the cars went by. Juliette thought that there was something going on with Aahna and this lawyer of hers, but Aahna, as usual, was hard to read. This could just be another one of her brief infatuations with a pretty girl like she had had in the past, but Juliette hoped for her friends’ sake that it was something more.  
The rest of the workday was spent on companionable silence between the two of them. Juliette wouldn’t admit to Aahna, but these were some of her favorite times. It’s not that she didn’t like talking to Aahna, she did. When they were like this, quiet and serene, there was a certain understanding between them. Aahna was more than happy to be left thinking about whatever it was she thought about. Juliette enjoyed having her hands busy shelving books or some other busywork while she thought about things she could write.   
“So, it’s about time to close up, do you want to go get dinner or something? I know this great place about 15 minutes away that’s supposed to be exceptionnelle.”  
“That would be great. I don’t really feel like cooking tonight, so I would’ve ended up eating a sandwich or a can of soup of some other shit.”  
“Perfect. I’m glad I saved you from that disaster of a meal. I don’t even think that counts as a meal, actually.”  
“Oh shut up. You can’t be the one coaching me about what a meal is. You never cook, and you have a whole bunch of money, so you get to spend that money on fancy meals at restaurants.”  
“I’ll never let your selfish words take me down, for I am even more amazing and devastatingly beautiful than you.”  
“Always so humble, An. I’m amazed at how you do it.” They were walking along a busy street full of people. Juliette almost had to shout in order to make Aahna hear her. It wasn’t uncommon to find a random street that had lots of people. This one was crowded because of all its French restaurants and souvenir shops.   
“Please don’t tell me where we are going is one of those tourist trap restaurants that says it had real authentic food, but in reality, it’s just shitty bread and bad wine.”  
Aahna gave Juliette a look that said ‘just trust me,’ which Juliette wasn’t really inclined to do. In the past Aahna hadn’t always been the best partner to get food with.  
They kept walking and turned down a small alleyway. It was dim and there weren’t any people on it, except for a few young boys smoking and doing other things Juliette didn’t really want to see.   
“Is this where you’ve brought me so you can finally under me violently and leave me in one of those garbage cans?”  
“Maudire. You weren’t supposed to figure it out. I guess I’ll just have to wait for another time. I suggest that you watch your back.”  
“Crap, I was really looking forward to dying today. This outfit is splendid for getting murdered. You can’t just do it anyway?”  
“I’m afraid not. I can’t afford to be caught for this. It would look very bad on my record. Plus, you just got my confession, and they’ll know it was me.” Aahna’s face was dead serious, and the only sign showing she was joking was her eyes, alight with mischief.   
“Who will know?”  
“Them. They see everything,” she whispered, looking around like she was conspiring against whoever they were.  
“Yeah, calm down James Bond. Or at least calm down enough to eat dinner, and then you’re going to pay for me because I said so.”  
“I feel used,” Aahna murmured, stepping through a puddle and splashing herself and Juliette, “Merde.”  
“Good.” Aahna led them to an old blue painted door. Above it were some words in French that Juliette couldn’t read and a painting of a ship.   
“This better not be one of your bars where you pick up girls and play poker or some other game. I’m not going to be that friend that comes in and begs you to stay because I’m pretending to be your ex or something.”  
“I wasn’t planning on doing that, but now that you mention it that would be a great plan. I’ll definitely be using that in the future. Great idea.” Aahna winked and pushed the door open. They were met with a faded wooden stairway and no people whatsoever.  
“You sure this is the right place? It doesn’t really seem… I don’t know, occupied? Habitable? Like anyone’s lived in it for years?”  
“That’s fair, but when have I ever led you astray?” Aahna got a look from Juliette and was quick to respond. “Don’t answer that question. I know some of my past choices of where to eat haven’t been the best, but I promise you’re going to love this one. It’s ideal for a thinker like you.”  
“Fine. This better be good, though. I’m hungry, tired, and I want to sit down, and right now, you’re looking like a pretty comfy chair.”  
“Just follow me,” she said, sounding thoroughly exasperated with all of Juliette’s bad jokes and endless teasing.   
“Yes ma’am.” They walked up the stairs, being careful not to touch the decaying rail or the greasy wallpaper. When they arrived at the top of the stairs, there was another door. On it were the words “Those who do not judge from appearance, but from the words of others are the only ones worthy of playing God.”  
“That’s not threatening at all. I feel very safe here, and not at all like we should leave right now.”  
“Oh, calmez-vous. There’s nothing to be worried about. I’ve been here plenty of times, and I can vouch that it is a good place to do it.”  
“I thought you said it just opened. And I’m not worried about it being a good place to eat, I’m worried about being murdered by angry drunk people. Is this a safe place to eat, An?”  
“It is a place to eat, yes.” Aahna was standing a step above Juliette, and glancing down on her with a look of worried thrill.  
“We’ll be fine. I promise. I wouldn’t put myself in danger for a meal, I may be looking for a way to die, but this is not it.”  
“Juliette made a mental note to write that down later, and with a sigh opened the door. The entryway was well lit by an assortment of candles hanging from the sconces on the walls. There was a large fireplace, burning with logs and paper, and there were about 20 tables, each with a white tablecloth draped simply over it.  
“Thank you, Aahna, for leading me on a journey to this wonderful gem of a place I’m the heart of Paris. I will never doubt you again,” Aahna mocked, waving hello to the waitress and getting them a table by the fire.  
Juliette sat down and looked closer at the restaurant's decor. There was a thick, woven rug on the floor depicting scenes from what Juliette assumed to be Romeo and Juliet. Each table had a vase with a purple Iris inside and a topless jar with a red candle. “I guess this is worth it,” Juliette admitted, looking around at the room.  
“If I didn’t know better I’d say this is basically a date. I mean, you’ve got the flowers, the fancy restaurant, two people,” Juliette quipped, looking through the menu.   
“Mon chéri, if I was trying to take you on a date and impress you I wouldn’t work this hard for it. I would’ve shown you the back of the bookstore and you still would get excited.”  
Juliette snickered. “You’re probably right. What can I say, I’m an easy gal to impress, and don’t hold my love of books and the smell of new books against me.”  
“I would never dream of it. It’s refreshing to have someone who cares so much about little things like all the books being pushed to the back of the shelf and that the postcards in the front of the store are organized by color.”   
They returned to look at their menus. Aahna was about to ask the waitress to let them order when Juliette spoke up. “So, I don’t really know how to speak French. I have no idea what any of this menu says.”   
Aahna looked up, looking bewildered. “What? How do you not know how to speak French? You've lived here for almost 4 months.”  
“Just living in France doesn’t mean I learn the language,” Juliette snapped back, instantly feeling bad after she did. “I didn’t really have time after graduation to learn. It wasn’t really my plan to move here. It was sort of spontaneous.”  
“You spontaneously moved to France? That’s a first. I don’t know many people who do that. Did something happen to make you move here?”  
Juliette looked down at the table and let out a little sigh. She didn’t meet Aahna’s eyes when she started talking. “A few months before I graduated my grandpa passed away. We were always really close. He was kind of the only family member who was like me. I and he were always the dreamers and the thinkers of the family rather than the academics. It’s kind of odd, cause he was one of the smartest men I know. He was an astronomer, and he loved to look at the stars. He and Bree were the only ones who pushed me to keep writing, especially. None of my family ever had a nickname for me, but he used to call me Rigel. It sounds strange, but Rigel is the brightest star in the Orion constellation.”  
“Well anyway, when I went to college and announced that I was going to be an English Literature Major my mom and dad were less than pleased. They thought it was a waste of time, but he forced me to keep going and stay with what I wanted to do instead of what the rest of my family wanted me to do.”  
Juliette continued in a quiet voice and far away eyes, playing with the necklace around her neck. “He was actually the one who got me the journal you always see me writing in. I didn’t really use it that much when I was living in New York. I had lots of other journals because I am flawed with the incapacity to see a pretty journal and not buy it. Call it an impulse. Anyway, he got sick in my sophomore year of college. He was never really able to get back on his feet after that happened. He never let it stop him from looking at the stars though. He fought tooth and nail to get a room with a window so he could use one of his indoor telescopes. Our whole family used to tease him about it ceaselessly. He didn’t care though.”  
“He died about 8 months before I graduated. It was so hard, so hard not having him there. I didn’t really realize how much I leaned on him before he was gone. The worst part was that the rest of my family cared so much that he was gone. I mean, I understand. They cared about him too. They had a right to mourn just like I did, but they didn’t have a right to tell lies about who they were to him when he was still alive. I know, I sound like a complete bitch when I say it like that, but it’s true. They didn’t care enough when he was alive, and they tried to make it up with things when he was dead.”  
Juliette looked down at the silver necklace around her neck. “This necklace was part of one of his telescopes. My mom was going to sell all of them, but I convinced her to keep just one. It’s back in New York. This necklace is actually something my grandpa designed for me just before he died.”  
The charm of the necklace was just a small rectangular box with Rigel engraved into one side in it, the other one had an engraved telescope on it.   
“Can I see it?” Juliette nodded and carefully took the necklace from around her neck and handed it to Aahna.  
“It’s beautiful.” She carefully handed it back to Juliette, who put it on right away. “I’m sorry if I made you upset with my comments and I’m happy you shared with me.”  
“Thanks, Aahna. I know this isn’t really what you wanted to talk about at dinner. It’s not really a fun topic.” Aahna went through the menus, loosely translating the items into English so Juliette could decide what to eat. The waitress came around and they gave their orders, Juliette definitely pronouncing it all wrong.  
“I don’t mind talking about sad things, they’re part of life. I honestly don’t know that much about you, so it’s nice to learn what brought you to me. I’m assuming he paid for you living here? I know it wasn’t your parents’ bidding that brought you here.”  
“You’re funny. He was the one who suggested it, but he didn’t pay. My sister was the one who funded my move. She knew how close me and my grandpa were, and I think he told her about Paris enough for her to understand it’s the place that I should go.”  
“What does she do for a living again? I always seem to forget. But then again, usually, when you start ranting about your family I zone out.”  
“That’s fair. She’s a hugely successful surgeon, and she’s pretty well known in her field, so I’m sure it was no trouble paying for all my expenses in Paris for two months.”  
Aahna let out a low whistle and leaned back in her chair. “Damn, sounds like my kind of woman.”   
“You’re great, but I’m not letting you anywhere near my sister. I don’t know what would happen to the pair of you, but it wouldn’t be good.”  
“Come on, I’m a grown adult. I can handle myself around beautiful women and not flirt. It’s not that hard. I’ve never flirted with you.”  
“One, you do not get to call yourself a grown adult if you don’t know how to work an oven, and two I’m not exactly the most stringing girl around.”  
“Is that where the qualification for being an adult is now? I know lots of people who don’t know how to work ovens.”   
“Really? Name one and I’ll give you my sister number. I promise.” Juliette took a sip from her water and looked at her dining partner with raised eyebrows.  
“Okay, I can do this. Penser, penser. There’s got to be someone.” Suddenly a smile came to her face and she peered straight at Juliette. “Carissa.”  
“An, she’s a literal kid. The definition of a kid is her exact age. Plus, she probably knows how to work the oven. I would be shocked if she doesn’t know how to cook already. I swear Ray thinks she’s at least 5 years older then she actually is.”  
“A very smart kid,” she argued back, looking at Juliette pointedly, daring her to call Ray’s kid not smart.   
“Fine, but that still doesn’t mean you’re a mature adult.” Juliette relented, taking a bite from her pasta.   
“I never wanted to be a mature adult, just an adult in general,” she noted, taking a bite from her steak.   
“Yeah, cause then you can pay taxes and you have to work. It's a real blast. I recommend it for everyone,” she commented, not looking up from her food.  
“Yeah but you also get to… meet people and… do things with the people you meet,” she said, looking suggestively at Juliette.   
“You're such a flirt.” They sat in comfortable silence, the sound of forks scraping against the chinaware.   
Juliette looked up when she was about halfway through her meal to see that Aahna was already done.  
“How the hell are you already done? We just got our food less than ten minutes ago. That doesn’t make any sense.” Aahna got slightly red and gave an embarrassed smile.  
“I’ve always eaten fast. When I was growing up we weren’t always sure when our next meal was going to be, so I ate fast. I guess I never really got over it. “  
“Aahna, I had no clue your childhood was like that. Did your Aunt get rich really quick or something?”  
“No, she was always rich, she just didn’t want to help us out. Her and my mom weren’t on great terms, and her marrying my dad just made it worse. I guess when they died she felt bad for neglecting to help us all the time. In her defense, she didn’t know how bad we had it. My mom was too proud to tell her anything. Please, don’t think worse of her for it. She really didn’t know.” Aahna was starting to get a little more frantic, and Juliette could tell this was a touchy subject for her to talk about.  
“An, I would never think less of the person who raised you half your life. I mean, how could I? She’s probably the reason you are the way you are.” Aahna smiled softly and seemed to lose the tension that had crept up on her through the conversation.  
After an enjoyable meal, the two of them, meaning Aahna, paid, and left. Juliette was stuffed, and she was honestly surprised when she was able to walk.  
“That was delicious. Thanks for inviting me. I know the conversation wasn’t exactly the most uplifting, but it was nice to talk about these things.”  
“Je suis d’accord,” she agreed. They were strolling along the street. Aahna had her elbow on top of Juliette’s head, leaning on her gently.   
A man whistled in their direction, and Aahna promptly took a sweeping bow and flipped him off with a grin. The man just laughed and continued on his way.  
“Do they usually just give up that easily when they do that? It is that one just not an asshole and knows how to take a hint.”  
“Sometimes I have to try harder, but it does help that I’m practically sprawled all over you,” she pointed out.  
Juliette blushed slightly but didn’t make Aahna get off of her. “You know, most people would assume we’re together just because we both happen to like women.”  
“Those are probably the same people that think that a guy and a girl can’t just be friends, so I’d say we don’t really need to be concerned about what they think.”  
“You make a strong point.” They continued walking, stopping occasionally for Aahna to point out some sort of landmark from either history or fro Aahna’s past.   
They rounded a corner and were met with the sound of a lonely melody played by a violinist on the other side of the street. Juliette had heard the price the violinist was playing before in her orchestra class.   
“Do you play?” Aahna asked, nodding toward the violinist.  
“What? Oh. No, I played the cello through high school. I haven’t really played much since then, but I always love to listen to classical music. It just has so much emotion that other music can’t even come close to. You can really feel what’s going on. I would’ve played the violin, but the teacher needed more cellos.”  
They looked back toward the musician. He didn’t have music in front of him, but he was playing flawlessly. He moved along with the sweeping melody, and leaned into the contrasting notes, playing with the onlooker's heart in all the right ways. He finished his song and was met with the polite applause of the few people listening.   
After a small break, he started playing again, and this time Juliette recognized the song almost instantly. She closed her eyes and let the music take her back to her parents’ apartment. Her mom would stand in front of the fireplace and play her violin. It was one of her moms’ favorite tunes, ‘Meditation’ from Taïs. It brought her back to when she was a kid, to when she still thought her parents were perfect.  
“We should dance.” Aahna was standing beside her, holding out her hand to Juliette and looking at her through her clear-bright eyes.  
“I can’t dance,” Juliette retorted with a chuckle. Aahna gave an exaggerated sigh and shook her outstretched arm, impatiently.  
“Absurdité. Of course, you can dance, you’re just not good at it. I’m plenty good enough for both of us.” Juliette rolled her eyes, but took her friend’s hand anyway, making sure to give her a begrudging look.  
“It’s easy, especially in a sad song like this. You dance the mood you sense.” Aahna put one of Juliette’s hands on her waist and the other on her shoulder. “See? It’s easy.”  
They were swaying gently to the beat of the song. They weren't really dancing, just holding each other leaning back and forth.   
Juliette looked up to see another couple dancing alongside them. “Hey An, look we’re trendsetters.” Aahna looked up and smiled dazzlingly at Juliette. She would’ve never known how broken Aahna was if they hadn’t had their talk.   
“Hell yeah, we are.” Aahna was talking quietly, not trying to upset the peaceful nighttime haze that seemed to envelop them. She moved to lay her head on Juliettes’ shoulder, and Juliette let her. Aahna wasn’t often willing to let her friends hold or anything of that sort, but the wailing song of the violin must have made her softer. Not that she minded.  
Time seemed to slow down as the two of them danced together in the middle of the street. More couples joined them, and soon there were at least 20 people dancing together in the dimly lit street, holding on to each other gently and bending to the refrain of the mournful violinist.  
Juliette was jolted out of the fog that had clouded her always-busy mind when the musician started playing an upbeat song. Aahna and Juliette looked at each other briefly before they started dancing wildly together. The other couples laughed and smiled, looking at them like they didn’t know whether or not to join in.   
The first couple to join them was considerably better at dancing then Juliette and Aahna, but none of them seemed to care. Juliette was normally too shy to dance like this in front of strangers, but she didn’t mind. She told herself it was because she would never see these people again, but she knew deep down that it was because she was with Aahna. Aahna had this presence in the world that made everything around her just a little brighter, just a little more colorful, and it scared Juliette how much she loved it. How much she loved being with Aahna. How much she loved Aahna. She knew a lot of people would think she was in love with Aahna, but she could honestly say that they were just friends. You can be in love with friends.   
Juliette was dancing with a random man who had somehow needed her as her partner at some point when she saw Luis talking to the violinist, who was no longer playing but was in what seemed like a deep conversation with Luis. Somehow none of them had noticed the music stopping.   
“Is that the dreamboat you wrote the poem about? I hope he’s the same guy that the first page in your journal is about too.” Aahna spoke loudly in her ear, taking over all of the other couples who were laughing and singing some song that they all knew.   
Juliette glared back at Aahna, and answered in a low tone, “That’s Luis. He lives right next door to me. And if you mention the poem to him I swear.”  
Aahna snickered and led the pair of them over to where Luis was standing next to the violinist. She introduced herself.  
“Hey boys, my friend seems to know you.” Juliette, who had been hiding behind Aahna, peeked out and gave a small wave.  
“Hi, Luis.” His face lit up when he saw her, and he wrapped her in a bear hug, before introducing her to the violinist.   
“I’m Mathias, it‘s nice to meet you, Juliette. Luis has told me all about you.” Mathias was a tall man. He was a large man, and he had a temper to match it when people got in his way. His accent wasn’t as pronounced as Aahna’s or Luis’, but it was still there. He had a childish face and an ambitious nature, and he was a security guard at one of the local rotation art exhibits. He had a wife, Claude. They lived together in a small apartment close to where Juliette and Luis lived.   
He played out in the street for about 30 minutes every night, or at least he tried. He didn’t play because he needed money, although it did help, he played because he liked to see people react to his music.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Juliette replied back politely, still a little flustered from finding Luis yet again when she wasn’t trying.   
Well, Juliette, “I just can’t seem to get rid of you,” Luis acknowledged, tucking his hands into his pocket.  
“I could say the same for you lover-boy,” Aahna started, but was stopped when Juliette elbowed her in the ribs. She shot Aahna a look and Aahna just shrugged back. Luis looked slightly amused at the two friends, most likely because they were acting like middle schoolers.  
“So, Mathias how do you know Luis?” Juliette was grateful when Aahna distracted Luis from whatever was going on.  
“Oh, we’ve known each other for almost forever. I was an English teacher at his old school, and we got to know each other then. He was one great student, although he did have his fair share of pranks.”  
“Oh really, is there any way we can hear about these stories?” Implored Juliette, looking dangerously at Luis.  
“Of course Jeune, but don’t you think it’s a little late. Normally, I wouldn’t mind, but Mrs. is waiting for me back at home and she wouldn’t want me to spend all of this time telling stories that she could tell much better.” At Juliette’s confused look he explained. “She worked at the school with me. She was his art teacher.”  
“She must be an excellent artist if she was able to teach him. I’ve seen some of his stuff, and it’s beautiful.”  
“Yes, she is a very great artist, although she always did think that Luis was probably better than her.”   
“Oh, tell Claude not to be so modest. She’s just better at different things. I’ve never seen anyone paint as she can.” Mathias scoffed at Luis and had a wide smile before picking up his case and skipping away.  
“He seems...nice.” Aahna chuckled while watching the jolly man waltz away down the street.   
Luis grinned and placed a big hand on both of the women’s shoulders, and turned them toward their street. “He’s a good guy. He can love so much deeper than anyone I’ve ever met, and he has so much room for more.”  
“I can see that, but there’s a person we both know that loves just as deep as anyone else can.” The pair of them look at Juliette, who blushes under the two pairs of eyes that mean so much to her, his stormcloud grey and her clear blue.   
“You guys do know I’m here, right?” Juliette was slightly confused because the two of them were staring at each other intensely. “You can stop staring fiercely into each other’s eyes if you want.”  
“Huh?” They replied in unison and looked away immediately. Aahna cleared her throat and linked her arm with Juliette, and Luis did the same. It was odd for Juliette to have both of them here with her and with each other. She didn’t realize it, but these were probably two of the most important people she had in her life at the moment.   
They arrived at Juliette’s apartment first. She stopped at the front of her building's door and turned to face Aahna and Luis.   
“Goodnight I guess. Um, It was fun,” she finished lamely, looking at each of them and offering a small smile.  
“Night Juliette. I hope I can see you soon,” Luis murmured, taking Juliette’s hand and kissing it gently on her knuckle. She let out a small sound of a surprise but didn’t pull her hand away.  
“I’m glad I finally got to meet him. I see why you’re so hung up on him,” Aahna said, and Juliette heard jealousy lining her tone.  
“An, I’m not hung up on him.” Aahna gave her a questioning look and thought for a moment before speaking again.  
“You wrote a poem about him.”  
“I write a poem about lots of things. I once wrote a poem about my pillow. I wouldn’t read too much into it.”  
Aahna nodded slowly and offered a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t be that invested in your romantic life, huh? I just couldn’t help myself I guess. See you tomorrow.”   
She marched away, but only got a few steps before turning around again. She looked Juliette up and down before making up her mind and leaning in to give Juliette a feather-light kiss on her cheek.   
She gave Juliette a sparkling smile and pranced away, leaving Juliette started and trying to catch up with her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> three chapters left! (i think)


	4. Chapter Four

Juliette wandered up the stairs and sat down on the couch, staring at the wall in awe. This night did not go how she had thought it would go. She had planned on eating a sandwich for dinner then watching her downloaded version of one of the Star Wars movies that she had saved on her computer.  
She looked at the time. Somehow, it was almost one in the morning already. She didn’t really feel tired, but the fact that she didn’t sleep at all the night before and that she had work tomorrow at nine forced her to get some well-needed sleep.   
She woke up about an hour before she had too. She got dressed in a pair of ripped overalls and a band T-Shirt before running a brush through her hair. She stopped at a local cafe that she had been to a few times. The waitress knew her by now, and she was able to have a conversation with her. Iseh loved her friends, or whatever they were to her at the moment, but it was nice to get to know other people on her own. She ordered a fruit crepe and a coffee overflowing with milk. She grabbed Aahna an Earl Grey tea with sugar because Aahna didn’t drink coffee and a buttery pastry with strawberry jam in the middle because of Aahna   
She wandered around for about 30 minutes, stopping in on random shops, NOH to buy anything just to look around and see what people were selling. She did find a small shop selling a bunch of random trinkets, and it made her think of Bree. After looking around a bit she found a small handheld pocket watch like the ones Bree collects. It had a design of a lily on the front and was made of glowing copper.   
Definitely something Bree would like. Now she just had to figure out a way to get it to her. Shipping things from Paris isn't technically easy. She finally made herself go to the bookstore. She normally didn’t dislike going to work, but with whatever happened last night she wasn’t really keen on spending the whole day with Aahna, whose relationship with her she had no grasp on.  
She braced herself and forced a smile into her face. Walking in, she saw Aahna waving to a leaving customer. She held the door open for the customer, who nodded and walked through. “I got your food. One incredibly unhealthy breakfast that I don’t even think counts as breakfast, and one tea that’s more sugar than tea.”  
“You’re one to talk. I’ve seen your coffee, there’s enough milk in there to make cereal, and that’s not even counting all the sugar you add.”  
“I’ll have you know I don’t add any sugar to my coffee, and I don’t add milk either, I add cream.”  
“Oh yeah, cause that’s so much better.” Aahna retorted, giving Juliette a grin before scooting over time her and hugging her from the side.  
“So, what do we have for today? I’m assuming not much because people don’t really plan on going to bookstores on a Monday morning.”  
“We have a call around nine.” Aahna moved back to behind the counter, pressing some buttons and counting the cash and the coins.  
“What could we possibly have a call for? That doesn’t really make sense.” Juliette started going through the books in the back, sorting them by author.  
“I’m setting up for the shop to expand a little. Maybe sell coffee and pastries, a few tables in the front. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, and now that my aunt's will is finally ready, I think I should do it. I mean, I’m not trying to make this shop my legacy, but it would be worth it in order to make more money. Plus my lawyer thinks it’s a good move, and I trust her.”  
“That’s just because she’s hot,” Juliette called back over her shoulder, still sorting the books.  
“I’m not that shallow, Zo. Like I said before, she’s actually really smart, which is lucky for me. I’m pretty sure I didn’t actually read her resume, I just clicked on the first one.”  
“What a pro-gamer move,” Juliette muttered, not really meaning for Aahna to hear her, but unfortunately for her, her boss was standing pretty close, and Juliette’s not known for her whispering skills.   
“What the fuck does that even mean. For real, tell me. You always say things like that and I have no clue what you’re talking about. Please, I’m literally begging you to tell me.”  
“It means, like, you know… what a baller move. A boss move.” Juliette sighed, not really knowing how to explain what she meant. “Why is this so hard? Like a really good move, I guess. You might want to just look it up.”  
“Yeah, okay. Is there a translator or something I can download? You say a lot of weird shit, and most of the time I have no clue what you’re talking about. Plus, you talk to yourself. A lot. I don’t think you know you do it.”  
“Wow, this really turned into a pile-on-Juliette’s-faults conversation. And I do not talk to myself, thank you very much. I think I would know if I did,” she complained, looking up at Aahna, who was looking down at her funnily.   
“Do you seriously not think you talk to yourself? Ask anyone who knows you, they will attest that you definitely talk to yourself. “  
Juliette huffed and didn’t respond. It was probably true, she was just too proud to admit it. It didn’t surprise her to hear that she talked to herself. She had a lot of thoughts, and sometimes it was easier to organize them when they were out in the open instead of bouncing around in her head.  
“Oh, so now you’re just not going to talk. That’s a real grown-up thing to do. I’m going to go meet up with someone for lunch, so I’ll see you later. Don’t burn the place down.”  
With that, Aahna ambled away, stopping at the door to turn around and give Juliette a playful wink.   
“You’re so cheesy, An.” Aahna continued walking while she turned again giving Juliette a grin and turning back around, waving half-heartedly in Juliette’s direction. Juliette’s lips curved upwards in a slight smile.  
Juliette spent the time that Aahna was gone tidying up the shop. She put the books back in alphabetical order. Aahna never really cared if they were organized, but it drove Juliette crazy. She never said it to Aahna, but she was concerned that her new idea for the shop wouldn’t turn out that well. They weren’t in the most populated area of Paris, and they already didn’t get enough customers as it was.   
Once she was some with that she didn’t really see any other fixes that she could do, so she spent her time writing in her journal random things. She didn’t write anything that she could show to other people, she mostly wrote snippets of conversations that she thought would work nicely in any book she might write in the future, short phrases that sounded nice, and random words that fit together to make a sort of mood.  
No customers came in that morning, and Juliette was left alone for about 2 hours after she had written everything that was on her mind and organized everything she could see. She contended herself by starting a random book that she picked up from the bin in the back.  
Growing up, Juliette had always loved reading. She read books almost constantly, and she always had a book with her no matter where she went. If she went to a friend’s house, she had a book. If she went to the theater, she had a book. Her mom loved it. Her dad thought it was weird, and it made her sister mad because it was the one thing that Juliette was probably better at. She luckily never got bullied for it or anything, and she kept up that urgency for reading almost her whole life. It died down a bit in college, but everything dies there so it didn’t concern Juliette all that much.  
She had been trying recently to get that excitement back about reading. It wasn’t something she was ready to give up, and she was going to work as hard as she could to make herself the way she used to be.  
The bell above the door jingled, making Juliette lookup. Aahna was standing at the door, looking at Juliette with a soft smile.  
“Have you been reading the whole time? If so, I’m impressed.” Juliette scoffed and motioned for Aahna to look around.  
“No dummy, if you used your eyes you could see that I finally organized the shelves because someone doesn’t let me.”  
“Why would I organize them when I have you to do it for me? I never do something that I can get someone else to do Plus, I liked them all muddled together. It really added to the inner chaos I feel in my life.” Juliette gave her a concerned look.  
“Are you… are you okay?” Juliette got up to stand by Aahna, who was smiling lawlessly, her head held high.   
“Of course I’m okay. I’m just taking a page out of your book and saying random things that pop into my head.”  
“The things I say aren’t random, they’re from-“ She stopped, heaving a small sigh, “You know what? It doesn’t matter.”   
Aahna looked fondly at Juliette before she started walking up the stairs in the back, muttering about how she had to do something.   
“That was weird,” Juliette whispered to herself. Juliette then looked around suspiciously, making sure there was no one in the room because, yes, she had just talked to herself, and, no, she’s a stubborn little piece of junk and no one will have any proof against her.   
“Juliette? Why are you looking around like that? Did they finally find you?” It was Ray, standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, looking puzzled.  
“Who are they? And why doesn’t everyone keep saying they’re after me. I haven’t done anything last time I checked.”  
“No, maybe you haven’t, but you are kind of a jerk sometimes,” Ray joked with a smile. “I’m just stopping by to make sure you guys still want to have Carissa over some time.”  
“Yeah, of course, we do. Do you have a day in mind or…?” Juliette was shocked that Ray was still open to letting them take care of his daughter. She had assumed it was some late-night desperation stunt, but apparently, he was serious.  
He laughed nervously and ran a hand down his face, groaning before dropping his hands and looking at Juliette. “I was actually thinking that tomorrow would be nice. Some last-minute thing came up, and I don’t really have enough at the moment to pay for a sitter.”  
“Oh, well I’m free tomorrow, and I’m pretty sure Aahna is too. Even if she’s not I’ll make her. How long do you want us to keep her?” Ray gave her an apologetic smile and took a deep breath.   
“All night?” Just as he said that Aahna came jumping down the stairs, slipping the last few and landing a few feet away from Juliette and Ray.   
“Did I hear something about taking care of my favorite little demon? Count me in, wherever and whenever it is. I’ll be there.”  
“Eccezionale. Thank you both so much. I can drop her off here around 5. Does that work for the both of you?”  
“Actually, I think it would be a better idea if we went to Juliette’s apartment. It’s much less nice, but I think we should go somewhere that has food and a working kitchen. Or we could just go out to eat. Both of those work for me.”  
“I’m good with either one. We might want to go out to eat though. I’m not really a great chef, and I don’t think Carissa wants ramen and red bull for dinner.”  
“I’m starting to regret this. I agree. Go out to dinner, and please choose a place that is appropriate. I don’t want a repeat of Easter.”  
“You guys celebrate Easter together? That’s so cute. I hope you took pictures. That’s something I definitely want to see.”  
They both ruefully ignored her and continued arguing about whether whatever restaurant they went to on Easter.   
Aahna was yelling how some guy was just being a little rude while Ray was yelling about he was an asshole.   
“People are assholes all the time Ray. It had nothing to do with the restaurant. He could’ve been anyway. Look at Juliette. She’s an easy bake oven sometimes, that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person.” Raising his eyebrows, Ray scoffed and rolled his eyes dramatically.   
“I don’t really like how this conversation is going so I’m going to step in now. Also, who uses an easy bake oven as an insult? Ray, drop Carissa off here at 5. Aahna, we’re taking Carissa to the cafe we’ve been to across the street. Then we’re going to go to your apartment because you have a Tv, and we’re going to watch the hell out of some Disney movies. Sounds good?”  
They both murmured their assent, giving each other sheepish grins. They may fight all the time, but anyone with eyes could see that they actually do care about each other, more than they would care to admit.  
“Good. Ray, don’t you have somewhere to be? Some class or something?” Ray’s face turned bright red at the mention of whatever he had to do.   
“Yeah, I’m skipping class right now. I didn’t have time to come by in between classes without just dumping her on you. It’s a class that I’m a little ahead in, so it doesn’t really matter.”  
“You don’t need to explain yourself to us. I did my fair share of skipping class. I doubt Juliette did, but she’s just going to go along with it because she doesn’t want to feel left out.”  
“I resent that. There’s no need to be snarky.” Juliette said over her shoulder, walking towards the back where she had a book set aside that she thought Ray would like.  
“There’s always a need to get snarky when you’re involved, Zo,” Ray commented, following Juliette to the back.   
“Perfect, let's just leave Aahna behind. It’s not like she’s the idiot who hired both of you in the first place.”  
Juliette and Ray smiled apologetically before returning to their conversation about whatever book Juliette was obsessing over at the time  
Ray left after he promised Juliette he would read the book. Aahna and Juliette were left to spend the rest of the workday in comfortable silence.  
They went to get dinner together. It was a small, all outside restaurant that Juliette had been wanting to try. Aahna wasn’t particular about where she ate, so she agreed.  
Juliette was the first one to speak when they sat down at a small table “Are you excited for tomorrow?”  
“Enfer ouais.I’ve been waiting way too long to take care of Carissa. Ray never lets me, so it’s good that you're around,” Aahna stayed, not even trying to hide the smile in her voice. “I’ve always liked kids.”  
“You want kids? No offense, but you don’t really seem like the kind of person who dreams about having kids.”  
“I don’t seem like the kind of person to do a lot of things that I do. I don’t see what’s wrong with me having kids.”  
“Oh God, that’s not what I meant at all. I just don’t really see you settling down anytime soon. Or anytime at all.”  
“I can see why you would think that,” she conceded, “But the way I figure it you don’t really have to settle for anything when you have kids. I’ll raise my kids the way I want to, and that way is probably very different from other people’s methods, but that’s okay cause I would still care about them.”  
Juliette spoke in a dreamy voice like she was far away. “I’ve never wanted to have kids. Everyone says it’s what completes life and all that jazz, but I don’t see why I would need that. I’m content with my future of having one person in my life, and in my house.”  
Aahna's face fell for only a moment before she schooled it back to her normal neutral face. “It’s not for everyone. Look at me, speaking as I’ve already had kids. I don’t even have a significant other.” Aahna looked up at Juliette while she said this, studying her, looking for a reaction they Juliette was careful not to give.  
“Let’s move on, shall we? I was thinking about renting a movie for Carissa tomorrow. Do you have any favorites growing up?” Aahna seemed to light up at the mention of her childhood.  
“I didn’t really watch movies growing up, but I do remember one of my best birthdays my parents took me to see Up while we were visiting Chicago for some family business thing. They didn’t speak English, so they had no clue what was going on, but my mom loved the music and my dad thought it was pretty. It was one of the only times I didn’t see them sad and stressed.”   
“Do you speak Hindi?”  
“Yeah, I didn’t learn English till I moved with my aunt. I didn’t go to school a lot because I had to work.”  
“That sucks,” Juliette commented, talking Aahna’s hand in hers, and quickly releasing it as soon as she realized what she did.  
“Yeah. It does,” Aahna’s voice caught a little at the end. Juliette guessed that not a lot of people really heard and listened when Aahna spoke, and she assumed that most people didn’t take the time to know how much Aahna held on to the few memories she had of her parents and her childhood.   
“Do you think we should split a meal or something? I’m not really that hungry, and I know you’re all for the cheap options.” Aahna pointed out a few things on the menu that looked good to her. Juliette just went with it because she couldn’t read it and looking the other options up online didn’t really sound like a fun option.  
They ordered some sandwich thing that Aahna claimed was a traditional Paris meal. It had ham and melted cheese, which Juliette wasn’t a huge fan of, but she went with it because Aahna said she really liked it, and Juliette didn’t really care that much.  
“What movie do you think we should watch? Actually, that’s not really a fun topic, so I’ll ask what your favorite is instead?” Aahna asked.  
“Definitely Whiplash. If you haven’t seen it we really have to see it. Even if you have, I still want to watch it again, and this gives me an opportunity. What’s yours?”  
Aahna blushed slightly, not making eye contact with Juliette. “Well, I’ve always loved The Sound of Music. Growing up it was always kind of what I wanted. Big house, parents that are happy and singing, a big family, lots of singing and dancing, people having fun all the time.”  
“Aww, An, who knew you had a soft side for the Von Trapps. It’s cute. Maybe one time you can dress up as Maria.”  
“Une offre alléchante, but I’m more of a Baron Von Trapp. You could totally pull off a killer Maria though.”  
“Good idea. I have a good idea, let’s just watch that tonight. I’m almost positive that Ray hates the movies, so I doubt Carissa has seen it.”  
Aahna’s face broke into a smile. She was looking at Juliette like she’d brought her the moon, and all she’d done was suggest they watch a movie.  
“I’m singing along to all of them, by the way. I just thought I’d warn you because I have a notoriously awful singing voice,” Juliette muttered.  
“Don’t worry, I expect nothing less. I’m sure Carissa will love to hear it. Ray doesn’t seem like the singing type, and Carissa definitely does.”  
“Oh yeah. She’ll be singing along by the end. What’s your favorite song from it? I personally have always loved Climb Every Mountain. It gives me an unstoppable feeling inside.”  
“You’re such a sap. I like Do Re Mi, like half of the universe. I’m okay with it though, cause that song is legit,” Aahna noted. Juliette let out a small chuckle.  
They had a pretty peaceful rest of the meal, not really talking about anything in particular. They didn’t need to talk much, because of the mutual understanding that had passed between them a while ago. They knew that they didn’t need to talk in order to keep their relationship going. It’s not that they didn’t or couldn’t talk to each other, but it wasn’t necessary. It was one of the reasons their friendship was so easy. It was also because both of them didn't confront people when they were upset, and they were both hopeless romantics, so they had an understanding.   
They paid for the meal, splitting the bill against Aahna’s protests, and walked back to the store. Aahna claimed that she had some sort of thing to show Juliette back at Aahna’s apartment. Juliette doubted she really had anything and was just bored, but Juliette wasn’t one to pass over an opportunity to hang out.  
“Do you have the DVD for Sound of Music, or should we look for it somewhere else?” Because they were hanging out at Aahna’s apartment, they had many more options than if they were going to Juliette’s, where they would only be able to watch on her laptop.  
“Oh honey, I have the 50th-anniversary set. If included there are bonus disks, which I’ve seen all of, a song along with a version, and an Edelweiss pin that I lost a long time ago.”  
“Jesus, you’re obsessed. I mean, like I have my obsessions, but they aren’t musicals from the 60s.”  
“Tu es un pour parler. I’ve seen you throw a book across the room because two characters refused to be together, cry because they did get together, start cussing them out because they broke up, and then cried again.”  
“It was an emotional book, okay? Don’t judge me for getting attached to the characters that guide you through a quest.”  
“You’ve lost it.,” Aahna lamented, snickering at Juliette, not even trying to hide the affection creeping through.  
“I get that a lot.” They went back to walking along in solitude, one of them always watching the other out of the corner of their eye, looking away as soon as the other person seemed to see them.  
“So if tomorrow we’re going to watch my favorite movie, don’t you think it only makes sense that we watch yours as well?”  
“Aahna, as much as I would love to watch Whiplash, I don’t really think it’s kid-appropriate. I’m sure, based on Ray’s almost constant cussing, that Carissa is mildly fluid in the language of bad words, but I don’t really think she can handle that.”  
“Oh, shut up you unnecessary movie sequel. I was going to ask if you wanted to watch it tonight with me, but apparently you’re too busy making fun of me.”  
“Okay, fine. Let’s do it. I have the disk if you would be okay with running by my apartment to get it.”  
“Who do you think I am? Of course, we’re going to run by your apartment, I’m not made of money,” Aahna guffawed, causing Juliette to snicker.   
Juliette’s apartment was about 30 minutes out of the way, but they had long ago come to the conclusion that the night was leading them to not get much sleep, so it didn’t much matter how far away it was.  
“I’m just going to run up and grab it, and change clothes. These overalls make me look super cute, and normally I wouldn’t complain, but I’m not about to sit on a couch in jeans, or anything but sweatpants for that matter.”  
“You got no complaints from me, I’ll likely be doing the same thing as soon as we get to my place.”  
“You wear sweatpants?” Aahna gave Juliette a startled look. Her nose was scrunched up, and her eyes were clouded with mirth. Juliette felt like she couldn’t breathe. She had a strong instinct to reach up and kiss her. She settled with taking a picture of her before clearing her throat and backing away toward the stairs. Aahna looked slightly flustered for a moment, but like usual, quickly composed herself.  
“Of course I wear sweatpants. I just don’t wear them out of the house because I have a sense of decency,” she called to Juliette, who was trudging up the stairs.   
Juliette got to her apartment and leaned against the closed door, sliding down it until she was on the floor. She pulled her knees close to her chest and let out a few deep breaths that she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding. Had she just never noticed Aahna’s constant flirting or was it new for this weekend? And when did Aahna get so… domestic? Calm? Dateable? With a groan, she got up from the floor and walked to her room. All of this was so high school, and she hated it. She had wrongly assumed that when she got out of school these things would stop, but what had happened with Aahna proved her to be wrong. Very wrong. When she was with her everything seemed sharper, more in focus, as basic as it may sound. She didn’t want to go a day without seeing her, and when she did she was snappish and rude. How had she never noticed this before? Granted, she wasn’t really looking, but it seemed so obvious.  
Unlike usual, where she would just grab the first clean clothes that she saw, she took time to find something that matched and wasn’t hopelessly wrinkled. She also grabbed a sweatshirt that was hanging in her closet, knowing that Aahna liked to keep her apartment freezing. She didn’t put her hair up in a ponytail either but in a semi-decent bun. She did remove her makeup because she wanted to look nice, but not that bad. Looking in the mirror she tucked a few strands of hair back into her bun and flipped through the case that held her movies, finding the movie she was looking for. She took the stairs down two at a time, meeting Aahna at the bottom. Aahna looked up from her phone and took in Juliette’s appearance.   
“You dress down nicely, Maeson.” Juliette was a little shocked to hear Aahna call her by her last name. It wasn’t something she had done before, but at this point in the night, she just decided to roll with it.  
“I always look this good, you just don’t notice it because of my impeccable fashion sense. An honest mistake.”  
“Le bien, impeccable. Not really the word I would use. I would use scruffy, but I could see where you made the mistake.” Juliette lightly shoved Aahna, who chuckled and shoved her back. “Also, I’ve always noticed it. Your fashion isn’t hiding anything, Juliette.” This time when she spoke Aahna was looking right into her eyes apprehensively, and Juliette couldn’t resist.   
She pulled her in for a kiss. It was gentle and rough, passionate, and loving, and it made Juliette feel alive in only a way that Aahna could. They pulled apart, and Juliette could see that Aahna was smiling. Not the shy kind of smile that she usually donned, but an unapologetically happy smile, one that Juliette could spend all day looking at, and not notice how it was blinding her. It pulled her in, and she held Aahna right to her.   
“You’re going into dangerous territory, Zo,” she whispered in her ear, sounding breathless excited. It was something Juliette could get used to.  
“I know, but I don’t really care. Isn’t that the fun of it, though?” Juliette pulled away from her so they could look at each other.   
“Depends on who you ask,” Aahna replied, but she was still smiling at Juliette. “I think there are a lot of people who disagree. But they call it falling in love for a reason. There’s got to be some danger, or there's nothing else to have.”  
“I thought I was the poet, and then here you go spouting all this poetic shit. I’m going to have to start writing this down.”  
“Look out Juliette, I’m coming for your job. Soon you’ll be the one reading the first page of my poetry journal.”  
“Look, An, about that-“  
“I’m not concerned with it. I trust you to know what you’re doing, and I’m not going to get mad at you for whatever it means. Plus, we don’t even know what we are. Let’s not jump to things,” Aahna remarked, not making eye contact. It sent a wave of disappointment through Juliette. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten excited, but when it came to Aahna her emotions seemed to increase dramatically tenfold.  
They continued walking along, thought Juliette noticed that Aahna wasn’t smiling anymore. It made her want to do whatever she could to get that smile back. She also noticed that they were walking a little further apart from each other then they was before.  
Aahna made them stop at a bakery that for some reason was still open to get a midnight snack. Juliette assumes it was because she didn’t have any food at home.   
Juliette ended up eating the doughy bread that she got from the bakery on the way to Aahna’s apartment. The store was dark, illuminated only by the glittering fairy lights that Carissa had “grown out of.” She had given them to Aahna, who put them up in her store as any normal human would. She claimed it was to bring customers in, but Juliette knew from overheard conversations that she really just liked those kinds of things. Things that bring the bookstore the magical and whimsical feeling that so many bookstores now lack.  
They fumbled through the dark of the shop, not turning on lights for some reason. About halfway through Juliette started running up the stairs because she got that creeping feeling that seemed to happen in the dark. They made it to the apartment, cursing and laughing and having a pleasant evening.  
“Come on, you can’t honestly say that you don’t get that feeling. Everyone does. When I turn off my bathroom light when I’m still in there I have to start singing to myself,” Juliette challenged.   
“I don’t think that’s something you should openly brag about. And why would you turn the bathroom light off if you’re still in there?”  
“You know, before you leave a room you turn the light off and you’re momentarily in the dark for a little while,” she responded, looking less than confident in her answer.  
“Tu es éstrange,” Aahna stated, brushing past Juliette to put the movie in. She went into her bedroom and changed clothes, putting on a pair of low hanging sweatpants and a shirt tank top that Juliette was pretty sure didn’t really count as a shirt anymore. Not that she was judging. She sat down on the couch and motioned for Juliette to sit down. “Don’t just stand there, come on. I’m not going to bite you. Unless you want me to,” she jested, raising her eyebrows biting her lip theatrically.   
“Yeah, yeah whatever. Just play the movie, will you? At this rate, we’re going to be watching this until, like, twelve o’clock.”  
“I don’t have a problem with that.”  
“No, neither do I. I just was planning on watching another movie after this one, and we might actually want to get some sleep before we take care of Carissa. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sleep that much this weekend.”  
“I was just planning on sleeping in, the perks of me being the boss. I guess that means more work for you though.”  
“Gee, thanks. I really feel like a valuable asset to this community. I think I’m going to cry because of how nice you’re being.”  
“Please try to keep your emotions in check, I know how hard it is for you to do that.” Juliette glared at Aahna, who just laughed and threw her arms around Juliette. “You know you love it to tease you.” Juliette huffed and turned away, but she was grinning.   
They settled down on the couch together, Juliette on one end and Aahna on the other. Juliette had her feet in Aahna’s lap, and Aahna’s feet were propped up on the table in between the small Tv and the couch. Neither of them thought it was odd that they spent so much time together in a small apartment. Growing up in New York, Juliette had never really spent a lot of time in her house, but it was different with Aahna. She didn’t care where she was with her, as long as they were together.  
They started the movie. Aahna had never seen it, so Juliette was constantly checking over on her to see if she was enjoying it. That was one of the distractions that Juliette had to deal with during the movie. Juliette cared a lot about what people thought of the things she liked. She always had. Her movie taste was refined to what her parents’ favorites were, but luckily they were huge movie people so Juliette never felt like she missed out. If her dad thought a movie wasn’t worth watching, Juliette never pushed it because if the other person watching beside her wasn’t going to enjoy it then she didn’t want to watch it. The other distraction for her was Aahna. She had never seen her in comfortable clothes. Somehow, in the few times, they had spent the night at each other’s place she fell asleep before Juliette and woke up before her as well. She looked comfortable in a way Juliette had never imagined she would look, and to say Juliette couldn’t keep her eyes off of her was an understatement.   
“Do I have something on my face? You keep looking at me,” Aahna murmured, lashing the movie.  
“No, I’m just not used to seeing you like this,” she stammered, gesturing to what Aahna was wearing.   
“Do you not like it?” Aahna tried to hide the panic behind her voice, but Juliette could hear it and she was quick to reassure her.  
“No! I mean, I like it, you just don’t usually dress like this. It’s just… different to see. In a good way.”   
“I should hope so.” nothing more was said throughout the rest of the movie, Juliette still occasionally looking over at Aahna.  
They findable barely finished the movie before Juliette was asking Aahna how she liked it. “It was fine I guess. I’m not really a Jazz person.” A sinking feeling ran through Juliette’s vein, and she worked hard to keep a smile on her face. “Zo, I’m kidding. It was awesome. And that ending. Really, I loved it.  
“My dad says it’s one of his favorite endings,” Juliette said, trying and failing to keep the excitement from rising in her voice. She always found it hard when talking about movies or books, or anything else she was passionate about. Juliette had bright eyes and a flushed face, which didn’t go unnoticed by Aahna.   
“You really like this movie, don’t you?” Aahna leaned back against the arm of the couch, studying Juliette.  
“I said it was my favorite, didn't I? My family would always watch it together in our parents’ bedroom. We would all like to sit on their small bed and share an overflowing bowl of popcorn with peanut M&Ms.”  
“That sounds nice,” Aahna echoed, staring at the credits rolling on the screen. “My family didn’t have anything like that, but we did have a tradition when I was young. Every Saturday night we would all go out in the backyard and pick some of the herbs that my mom grew in the back. We would spend all of the next day cutting them up and putting them in pouches, or making stew with them. The smell would fill up the whole house.”  
Neither one of them spoke for about five minutes, each one giving the other one time to remember the memories of the past.  
“So, do you have another movie in mind?” Juliette looked up at Aahna, who was looking at her expectantly.  
“I figured since I chose this one you should get to choose the next one. Do you have anything you’ve been wanting to watch?”  
“No, but I know you do. I don’t really care that much about what we watch, as long as it passes whatever standards you’ve set for your movie watching.”  
“We’re going to end up watching movies all night if you leave it up to me. I have no self-control when it comes to movies and books.”  
“I’m counting on it. Apparently I haven’t seen any of the movies that you like, so I think we should fix that, don’t you?”   
“You got me there. We’re just going to have to drink a lot of coffee tomorrow. Well, I will. You can drink caffeinated tea or whatever.”  
“Pas asset fort. I’m drinking my famous concoction. It’s orange juice mixed with Red Bull and two containers of five-hour energy.”  
“That’s probably the most American thing I’ve heard you say. That sounds like what I drank in college when my roommate and I both needed to finish our papers in one night. Spoiler Alert: we didn’t make it. About one-third of the way through the drink I started seeing dancing toadstools and my roommate thought she could control fire with her mind. We told the professor that story, and because it was a creative writing class he gave us both an A because we told it in a fun way. Made for a great story though.”  
“I bet, and as much as I would love to hear how you told your parents that, I think we should focus on the task on hand.”  
“Right, sorry. I assume you’ve seen all the Star Wars movies, so I shouldn’t bother with that, right?” Aahna shook her head, and Juliette let out a screech. “How the fu- you know what screw going to bed at an early time. We’re watching every single one.”  
“Juliette, aren’t there like 10 of them?” Juliette looked at her, unfazed, and nodded. She then seemed to consider it more and she shook her head.  
“Technically there's 11. The original three, the prequels, the sequels, Rogue One, and Solo. I’m not a fan of the prequels like most people, so we don’t have to watch those or Solo because no one can play Han Solo like Harrison Ford, as good as they may be. I’m willing to compromise. We can watch the original three tonight, but we will be watching the rest of them at some point.”  
“I think I can deal with that. I don’t have any of the movies though, and I don’t really want to spend all the money on that,” she observed, looking at Juliette.  
“Don’t underestimate me. I have the three originals. We would have to go walk to my apartment, though.” They both looked out the open window. The night was completely dark, and there was a gentle hum that was as always there in big cities like Paris.  
“We can just walk over there. I’m hungry, so we can stop at that bakery by your place that’s always open.”  
“Are you always hungry? Don’t answer that, I know what you’re going to say. Sounds good. I’ve got to admit, I’m kind of hungry too.”  
“Of course you are. We haven’t eaten in almost two hours,” she offered, standing up and stretching out her limbs. “Well, let’s go. We might as well try to get this done before it’s time to go to work.”  
“You mean before it’s time for me to go to work, and for you to go to sleep while I’m running the shop.”  
“I’m glad we’re on the page. I wouldn’t want to have the talk about why I get to slack off because I’m the boss with you again.”  
“Yeah, we wouldn’t want that.” The pair of them trudged down the stairs. Juliette didn’t realize how tired she was until she stood up and started walking around.   
They were about halfway there when Juliette spoke up. “I would say we should turn around, but I feel like it’s too late to do that.”  
“Speak for yourself. I got my second wind about 20 minutes ago, and I feel great. There’s no way I’m letting you turn back. I have to see some Star Wars.”  
“I’ll make that my inspiration. I’m helping someone who has never seen Star Wars see the light.”  
“That’s the spirit.” They stopped at the bakery, getting some sweets and caffeinated drinks. The old woman was the same one who had helped them earlier, and she gave them an odd look but didn't say anything.  
They arrived at Juliette’s apartment. She ran upstairs and grabbed the case of her movies, and came back down, wanting to get back to Aahna’s so she could lay down.  
“So that’s the movie case where you have all your favorites?”   
“I wish. A lot of them are still at my parents’ house because they’re the ones who bought them, even though they don’t watch them. My sister and I each got half of the ones they didn’t want, so we took turns picking. The deal we made was I got to keep all the Star Wars and she got to keep Inception and The Matrix. I don’t know why my parents didn’t want to keep those, but I didn’t mind. It meant more for me. My dad wanted to keep Whiplash because, as I said, he loves it, but I was able to convince him to let me have it. I told him it would remind me of home when I wasn’t there watching it with him.”  
“So he let you have it?”  
“No. He decided it was worth it to spend the money to buy me and my sister one so we could all have it. My family’s crazy like that,” she explained fondly. Juliette knew it was hard for anyone to understand what was going on with her family and her, but she did care about them.   
“Well, I’m glad he bought it for you so we could watch it. I’m not one to pass up seeing an awesome movie.”  
“Then how come you’ve never seen Star Wars? I can’t believe that we’ve known each other for almost four months, and I didn’t know this. I’m insulted.”  
“Did it occur to you that this is the reason I didn’t tell you?” Aahna jokes, tugging her lip between her teeth.   
“Of course not. You didn’t tell me because you were obviously nervous that I would leave because I’m a huge fan, but I’m still here so there’s nothing to be nervous about.”  
“Yeah, that was definitely it. You really nailed it, Zo. I can’t believe you found out my motive for not telling you I hadn’t seen a kids movie.”  
“Excuse you, Star Wars is not a kids movie. I mean, sure kids watch I’ll give you that, but it’s for all ages. Lots of older people watch it.”  
“Just because adults watch it doesn’t mean it’s meant for them.” They were walking together like they had so many times. Aahna, who was just that much taller than Juliette, had her arm thrown loosely around Juliette’s shoulder. Juliette, not really like to be hugged and touched all that much, was burrowed Into Aahna’s side, she was surprisingly okay with Aahna touching her most of the time, but still had moments when she cringed at anyone’s touch. She had found out from her experiences that it was better when the person who wanted to touch her asked her first, or they waited for her to be the one to touch them first.  
Aahna looked down at Juliette. She was looking down at the ground like she always was when she was walking. “Why do you do that? Like I’ve always noticed it.”  
“Yeah man, I have no clue what you’re talking about. I’m just walking normally, the same way as you.”  
“That’s so not true,” she protested, raising her eyebrows. Juliette still looked lost, so Aahna explained. “You always walk with your head down.”  
“Well, duh. If I walked with my head up I would trip and bump into things,” she laughed, “It drives my sister crazy. In middle school, I was always falling in the halls because I was looking down not up and people kept running into me.”  
“See, how do you not see that this is a problem. There could be someone walking right in front of you and you wouldn’t see them.”  
“I’ve found that it’s not the people that are the issue. I’ve run into many signs and trash cans. One time In fifth grade I ran into a stop sign and broke my nose. It’s funny now, but then I was so embarrassed because it was in front of the cool kids.”  
“I’m shocked. I always imagined you were one of the cool kids. I think of you with a Harry Potter shirt, those cool sunglasses, and the same converse you’re wearing right now.”  
“Very funny. For your information, I didn’t start being a nerd until I was in middle school, and that only happened because one of my teachers thought they saw something in me or some other shit. In elementary school, I was fucking awesome. I was untouchable.”  
“Whatever you say. Also, I think deep down you were always a nerd, and I say that as the highest compliment. It’s weird, but I always kind of wanted to be able to be a nerd. I could never really care that much about things like that.”  
“I would consider you lucky, then. Don’t get me wrong, I love being nerdy and liking books and all that stuff, but there’s always this element that when you watch or read these things that you’re never going to be like them. You’re not going to be famous, you’re not going to be known, and people aren’t going to have anything to prove that you mattered. I remember, one of the hardest things growing up was watching a movie or something and realizing you’re not happy anymore because there is no hope for the talents you have, not because you’re not good enough but because people aren’t going to listen even if you are. I don’t think I ever got over the fact that it’s not real.”  
“So you’re not happy with your life?” Aahna has slowed their walk down to where they were barely moving.   
“I think I’m happier than I would be if I'd stayed in New York. I don’t think I would be able to stand living in the city I grew up in any longer. It doesn’t matter how much I loved where I grew up, I still wouldn't be able to stand living where I grew up.”  
Aahna made a noise of acknowledgment. “I would like to live in the city I grew up in, but I’m a very different person.”  
“I don’t think we’re that different.”  
“Oh, really? Tell me, would you rather be loved by one person, or have everyone know your name?”  
Juliette didn’t even take a moment to think before she answered. “Known by everyone. It’s not that I’m scared of being forgotten, I’ve accepted that I will be. I just want to be important to people. I want people to look up to me. I want, when I die, to cause a small rift in people's lives.”  
“That’s very selfish.” It wasn’t an accusation, just a statement. Aahna didn’t sound disappointed either, just contemplative. “I would much rather be loved by one person. If I can have someone who thinks of me when they wake up and go to sleep, someone who dances with me in the kitchen in the middle of the afternoon and plays with my hair while I read them poetry then I’m happy, and if I’m not happy then I’m content.”  
“I think that’s a good line of thought, I just don’t think I could ever actually be okay with that kind of life, but then again I don’t know what the kind of love you described is like. Or maybe I do, I’ve just never noticed it.”  
“Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Too bad it’s so hard to find now.” The two of them were looking at each other. Aahna took her arm from around Juliette and scratched the back of her head. Juliette played with her necklace around her neck and looked away from her.   
Unlike most of the silences between them, this one was awkward. Neither of them resale knew what to say, and they were marching along, not looking at each other.  
“I just got an idea. I’m spending all this time watching things you like, and getting nothing in return, right?”  
“If my adoration and appreciation don’t count for anything then yes you are correct, although I think my regards count largely.”  
“Okay, okay. I just think you should watch something I like. Now, you may be asking what, and I’m here to tell you that we will be. French Soap Operas? Nah. Cheesy romance movies. No thanks. There is only one source of entertainment that I will bless your presence with, and that is a shit ton of old music videos from my favorite songs and artists. That’s my idea of a fun Friday night if I’m spending it alone at home.”  
“Doesn’t sound half bad. There are some weird music videos out there though. Better be careful.”  
Aahna scoffed. “Those are the best ones. I try to find the weirdest ones I can. I’ll have to admit though, I’m a sucker for the cheesy sad love story ones. Sometimes I just want to live in the world that they describe and feel what they feel.”  
“Even the sad ones?” Juliette had subconsciously moved closer to Aahna, who noticed and took her hands out from her pockets, ready to hold Juliette again.   
“Especially the sad ones. They’re only sad because someone loved someone so much and they lost them, but to have loved anyone like they did before they lost someone is the greatest gift.”  
“I think that would get lonely after a while,” Juliette replied shortly. They didn’t talk the rest of the way.   
Once they got back to the apartment they sat down on the couch. Juliette could tell that Aahna wasn’t comfortable in the spot she had been in earlier. She kept moving around, and they hadn’t even started the movie yet. “You can move to a different spot you know. It’s your couch. Aahna gave her a teasing look before she scooted over to where Juliette was sitting. She motioned for Juliette to lay down across the couch, so she did. Aahna then laid in front of her. They are parallel to each other, and Juliette had no place to put her arms, so she draped one over Aahna’s waist and the other under, effectively trapping Aahna in her arms.  
Better?” She murmured against Aahna’s exposed neck. Aahna gave a noise of affirmation, sighing softly.   
“You gonna turn the movie on?” Juliette nodded and reached for the remote, pressing the play button. The screen is black for a few seconds before it erupts me to the title screen. Juliette, not being able to help herself, screams “Star Wars” when it comes to the screen. Aahna jumps in her place and turns back to hit Juliette lightly on her side.  
“Yeah, I guess I deserved that, I just couldn’t help myself. Like, physically I couldn’t do it. It would go against the makings of my being.”  
“Sure.” They watched the movie, not talking to each other. Juliette checked on Ahana throughout the film, and this time she didn’t notice. Aahna was paying her full attention to the movie. She was chewing on her lip, and she had the faintest smile on her face.  
By the time the movie was over Juliette wasn’t even trying to hide her joy. It seemed like Aahna had really enjoyed the movie, and Juliette loved the feeling of helping someone else be happy. It was one of the reasons she loved writing.  
“I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed in two things.” Juliette felt a dismayed course through her veins. “One: I didn’t like that at the end Chewbacca didn’t get a medal, and two I wasn’t overly fond that I’ve wasted my life up until this point by not watching it.”  
“I knew you would like it,” Juliette exclaimed, turning Aahna around in her arms so they could talk.  
“No you didn’t,” she stated flatly, quirking her eyebrows. They were almost as close as they had been when they danced together, but then it seemed voluntary. Now they were pressed against each other. She could tell that Aahna smelled like wood. Juliette assumed it was from the old wooden dresser that she kept the clothes that she slept in.  
It was safe to say that Juliette wanted to keep smelling that for as long as Aahna would let her. She didn’t know how it got so bad, her need to be with her, but there was no going back now. She was addicted to this girl, and she couldn’t get away.   
It would've been so easy for her to just learn and kiss her, but Juliette didn’t think that was the right thing to do at the moment, so she settles by tightening her arms around her and burying her head in Aahna’s shoulder. Aahna made a surprised noise but held Juliette to her.   
“I really did like the movie.” She was speaking quietly, her lips soft against Juliette’s ear. It was one of the most peaceful moments Juliette had recently, and she wanted to live in it forever. But, like all things, it had to end.  
There was yelling from mother street. It was a young woman, who apparently was mad at Aahna for not calling her back. Aahna let out a low groan, tipping her head back on the arm of the couch.   
“I gave her my number because she wouldn’t go away. I wasn’t even trying to pick anyone up. I was at a freaking coffee shop. Apparently when you sit at a coffee shop and order the biggest caffeinated non-coffee drink with bags under your eyes you really call attention to yourself as someone looking for an eventful night. I think we should just pretend there’s no one here,” she explained, whispering.   
“Sounds good to me. I don’t really want to have human interaction.” It went unnoticed by both of them that they were, in fact, being as close as possible.  
They laid there, listening to the girl yelling, trying to look anywhere but each other. They should’ve been smart enough to figure out that they could move around the room as long as they weren’t in the view of the window, but both of them knew that they didn’t want to move, not really.  
The girl eventually gave up and went away. The two of them looked at each other and broke out in laughter. Maybe it was the late hour or the odd situation, or just the triumph of being with each other, but once they started they couldn’t stop. At one point Aahna fell on the floor sending popcorn everywhere, which just made them laugh harder. Juliette had tears streaming down her face and was making choking noises, and Aahna was rolling around and clutching her stomach. Key didn’t know how long they were like that, but it seemed like forever.  
Once they had settled down a little Juliette asked if they wanted to watch the next Star Wars. Aahna said she was okay with it as long as they had some sort of candy or sugary thing. Juliette, not one to say no to sweets, agreed and padded into the kitchen.  
Aahna’s cabinet was basically empty except for a few containers of Oreos and a bag of gummy worms. “I don’t understand how you live like this.”  
“It’s called enjoying other people’s cooking and not learning for myself. You should try it sometime.”  
“I’m not some great chef, but I do make a mean grilled cheese. I’ll have to make it for you. Unfortunately, it isn’t covered in sugar and doesn’t have any super expensive addition, so it might not be to your standard.”  
“Oh s’il te plait, my standard is that it’s edible and isn’t flavorless. I just happen to be able to afford more expensive things that fall into that category as well.”  
“No, you misunderstood me. I deeply admire this. I wish I had the confidence in myself to not have any food in my cabinets and no life skills whatsoever.”  
“That’s not true, I have a few skills. I’m very good at it… adulting,” she suggested, looking at Juliette through her lashes.  
“A strong argument. It’s hard to come up with something that will match the well thought out logic.” Aahna rolled her eyes and laid down on the floor, spread-eagled.  
“Do you want to watch the next one or just stop now?” Juliette was leaning over the edge of the couch, upside down. She could see herself in the reflection of the table and she stuck her tongue out at herself.  
“I would say we should watch another one, but I just remembered that we actually have something to do tomorrow and that something is taking care of the petit démon that lives with Ray,” she stated calmly Juliette shott up from her spot half on the couch, or at least she tried to. She managed to get off the couch though, by falling off.  
She let out a string of curses and ran a hand through her hair, anxiety running through her suddenly. “I don’t really think I should walk home. I know we walked outside in the night earlier, but we were together then, and I was a little less awake then. Which is weird cause it’s actually later now.” Juliette knew she was overreacting, but not having enough sleep was always when she had things to do was something that stressed her out. She didn’t understand it because 99% of the time she was totally okay with getting little to no sleep, but sometimes it just hit her and she couldn’t stop herself from freaking out.  
“Zo, you’re rambling. Just calm down, okay? We still have like five hours until we have to go to work, and if we need we can take turns sleeping. You can stay here tonight, and run by your place tomorrow or wear some of my clothes. You’re going to be fine.”   
Juliette let out a puff of air and nodded slowly. She sat back down and pulled her legs close to her. Aahna was still speaking calmly to her. “My bed is pretty small, so I don’t think we can both fit. Are you okay with sleeping on the couch?”  
Juliette nodded and muttered a quiet thanks to Aahna. Aahna, sewing that Juliette needed rest, went to her room and shut the door with a gentle click.  
Juliette pulled the blanket over her and let herself slowly drift away, thinking of starships and Aahna.


	5. Chapter Four

Juliette woke up to the sound of Aahna in the other room getting ready. Juliette didn’t understand why she was because she didn’t have to work today, but she didn’t question it.  
She stood up, blinking away the sleep from her eyes, and roamed over to the kitchen. Aahna was sitting at her dresser. She saw Juliette through the mirror and smiled at her blearily.   
“Hey. The showers open if you want to take one. I put out some clothes that might fit you, although they might be a little long. I was just going to go cover for you until you woke up, so now that you’re up I can run and get some coffee while you man the shop for a little while.” Juliette just stood there, looking at Aahna. How could she still look so amazing if she just woke up? Sure, she was putting makeup on, but it was only on and she still looked like a sub on a rainy day. Apparently she said this out loud because Aahna gave her a shy smile and looked down at her hands. Juliette turned in a circle and saw a pile of clothes waiting for her. She chose a light blue button-up shirt that she sincerely doubted Aahna ever wore and looked like it might fit and a loose pair of cotton pants.  
She went into the small bathroom and turned the shower to the hottest setting and waited for it to heat up. She looked at herself in the mirror. She didn’t look as tired as she felt, but she still looked pale and worn. Her hair was sticking up and her clothes were rumpled.  
She stepped into the showers and let the warm spray wash over her. Juliette hadn’t expected what she saw. She had expected to see lots of products of different uses, but there wasn’t much at all. It seemed like such an intimate thing, being in her shower. Everything smelled like her and flooded Juliette’s senses.  
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her. Aahna knocked on the bathroom door, and Juliette opened it to see Aahna, part of her short hair hidden by a floral headband that Juliette loved.   
Aahna looked flustered. Her eyes were wide and she was shifting her weight. Juliette was confused until she realized she wasn’t wearing anything except a towel.   
“Oh. Umm, I can put something on if you want.” She trailed off, crossing her arms over her chest.  
“No, no it’s fine I just wanted to tell you that I was going to go get some coffee and to ask you if you wanted me to get you anything else.”  
“Oh yeah, just get me whatever you get yourself.” Aahna nodded and quickly walked away, grabbing her things and leaving the apartment.  
Juliette, a little more than embarrassed. She put on the clothes the Aahna lent her. They were a little tight and way too long. She had to roll the sleeves of the shirt to her elbows so they wouldn’t get in her way and she cuffed the pants to get them to fit. She looked over herself in the mirror. She didn’t look half bad. She saw that Aahna had left a note for her in the dresser. You can use my makeup if you want. Don’t worry, I clean the brushes sometimes. Juliette let out a small laugh and tried to make herself look less tired. By the time she was done she didn’t think she looked half bad. Her hair was two messy braids because the type of comb Aahna had wouldn’t work in her hair. She brushed her fingers through it a few times before giving up and putting it back into boxer braids, one of the few hairstyles she knew how to do, and even her talent with them was iffy at best.  
She went around the apartment collecting the things that were hers from the various places they ended up last night, and tidying up. She had no clue when they ended up putting their coffee cups in the flower pot outside, but she didn’t really want to know. Last night they didn’t even stay up that late, so she was scared to see what happened to pull an all-nighter. She made a mental note to try that out sometime. Or to never do it.  
She hurried down the stairs, clutching the old wooden banister so she didn’t trip on the still too long clothes. She was surprised to see Olivia, Aahna’s lawyer.   
“Why do you always show up when she’s not around?” Juliette arrived at the bottom of the stairs and shook Olivia's hand,   
“Why are you always here when I need to speak to my client?” She retorted, giving Juliette a lazy smile.   
“She’ll be back soon, she’s just getting coffee and breakfast. I’m Juliette if you don’t remember. I work here.”  
“Yeah, I know. Aahna talks about a lot when I see her. Are you two dating or is this just a hookup kind of thing?”  
“Me and Aahna? Oh, no we aren’t together. We’re just friends,” she responded swiftly, leaning forward on the counter.  
“That’s a load of rubbish. There’s obviously something going on between the two of you. Friends don’t wear each other’s clothes and get coffee for each other and whatever you guys did last night.”  
“They don’t? Then I’m pretty sure every friend I’ve ever had is my girlfriend based on that analysis.”  
“Okay fine, I guess they’re true, but you should hear the way she talks about you. I’ve never heard anyone like that. And they way her eyes light up, god you’re lucky.”  
Juliette didn’t answer. She took a few steps back and opened her phone, effectively ending any conversation that Olivia would want to have.   
Was what she was saying about Aahna true? If so, was Olivia just seeing it all wrong. Sure, they were close things, and yeah, they’d kissed once but had that really counted? Juliette knew that physical touching wasn’t as big a deal to Aahna as it was to Juliette, and she wasn’t naive enough to think that it meant something besides at the moment, but Juliette was a hopeful person and she couldn’t help but feel hopeful that maybe it meant something more. It was a good thing that Aahna finally came back because Juliette would have stayed there overthinking it for a long time.  
“Olivia, it’s so good to see you. Are you just here for the pleasure of my company or is there something else going on?” Aahna didn’t seem to notice the obvious tension in the room, and if she did she just carried on like usual. “Juliette, I got you that cream-filled thing you like so much and a coffee with cream and sugar, just the way you like it.”  
“Thanks.” Juliette chose to ignore the pointed look Olivia was giving her and focused on her food instead.   
“Aahna, can I talk to you? There’s not a lot left to be settled, but we just need to go over a few things.” Aahna nodded and led Olivia upstairs, calling down to Juliette to watch the store for a little while and not let anyone rob them while she was gone.  
Juliette went back to her thinking. It seemed fairly unlikely that Aahna would suddenly decide that she was a relationship person and wanted to be with her. She wasn’t going to delude herself into thinking she was special, or that she was more important than a girl who worked in the bookstore and watched movies with her boss because they were both lonely people, drowning alone in the city of love. Sure, Aahna had her hookups and one-nighters, but Juliette saw the way she forced herself to smile when they left. It’s not that she cared about those girls, Juliette knew she didn’t, but Juliette thought that Aahna cared more about them caring about her. She wanted one of them to stop and turn around and look back at her and tell her that they needed each other. Juliette honestly believed that the first girl to do that for Aahna would stay with her for a long time. Aahna would tell herself that she cared, and she might eventually.  
So she forced herself into thinking about something else. About what she was reading or who she wanted to end up with who, or anything but the girl upstairs. She tried, she really did, but she just couldn’t focus on anything else. She decided she should write.

There was a girl,  
Who loved the world too quickly.  
She never knew when  
The love she had,  
Would end up hurting her.

Everyone told this girl,  
To stop loving,  
Because it was making her sad.  
But she knew that she couldn’t,  
Because there were things,  
If she didn’t love them,  
No one would.

So she kept loving.  
She loved  
That one scratchy blanket,  
The ugly teddy bear,  
The old man who wasn’t nice to anyone,  
And she loved the world.

One day,  
When she was talking to someone,  
She stopped in the middle of a sentence,  
And looked up into the sky.  
She saw the stars,  
And their distant beauty,  
And she knew,  
That when she stopped loving,  
The world wouldn’t have as much love.

So she tried to love everything,  
As much as she could  
In order to make up for the love lost,  
When she would be gone.

Years passed in the girl's life.  
She loved everything she could.  
And she cherished the world.  
But like all things,  
Her life had to end.

On the night when she died,  
There were no stars in the sky  
Because the world was mourning,  
For the only person that loved it fully,  
Was dead.

But life went on.  
And the stars shone the next night,  
And the night after that.  
And there were people,  
Who studied the life of the girl,  
And they decided to try to love  
As deeply as she did.

And the world learned to love them,  
Because that’s what it has to do.  
It has to move on.  
It can stop and mourn,  
But at the end of the day,  
The stars will come out.  
And they will rejoice,  
Because they have people,  
That love them,  
As much as the girl that loved did.

So,  
Don’t be afraid,  
To love too deeply,  
And please,  
Listen to the girl,  
And love the things no one loves.

It helped her. She felt calmer and her hands were more steady, but that could’ve been the food. She felt more down to Earth, and everything felt less overwhelming. She had had the idea for that poem in the back of her head for a while, but when she had written it down it never ended up sounding right. She thought this time was the best one yet, even if she still wasn’t thrilled with the way it turned out, but by now she had gotten used to the unavoidable feeling of disappointment and self-doubt that came with creating anything. She had to trust that the people she showed her works to were being honest about it and they were good. She would hate to have wasted all this time working on something that isn’t worth working on. But she figured that’s how most things work. You do something and you have to trust that people are looking at it the right way and that they will tell you the truth about what they think it’s worth.   
Juliette sighed and looked back down at her flowered book. The pages were getting wrinkled and yellowed, and the cover that was once colorful was now faded. A few of the pages had watermarks, and one had a drop of spaghetti sauce on it from when Juliette wasn’t being careful enough. She didn’t mind the beat-up state though. It made her seem more serious and more focused on her writing. At least, that’s what she thought.  
“Lost in thought?” She didn’t even notice the bell above the door. She hadn’t noticed him until he was standing right in front of her. He looked the same as he always did, dressed smartly but with disheveled hair and kind eyes. “I saw you through the window. I don’t mean to intrude, I just wanted to say hi. Also, I saw that woman walking in. The one with pink hair. I wanted to see who she was.”  
“Olivia? That’s Aahna’s lawyer. I don’t really know why she’s here all the time, but I’ve lost any hope of understanding Aahna’s business.”  
“She seemed très belle. There’s no way you have her number or anything?” Juliette was taken aback. He didn’t seem like the kind of person who would do things like this, but she had been very wrong in the past about what people seemed to like.   
“No, but knowing Aahna’s attention span for things like meetings this is going to be over pretty quickly. You can wait here. Go ahead and look around.”  
“Do you have any recommendations? I’m looking for something to read and you seem like the kind of person to know good books. I’m looking for something classic. I want that feeling of satisfaction you get when you finish an old book.” Juliette didn’t understand how just a few days earlier she had thought they, her and Luis could be something. They were friends, and she had been looking for something that wasn’t there. She had searched for something without knowing if she wanted it, and now that she thought about it she didn’t want to have anything but friendship with him.  
“I take that as the highest compliment. If you’re looking for something old you can’t beat Catcher in the Rye, but I assume you've already read that.” Luis nodded, so Juliette racked her brain for other suggestions. “Well, there’s Little Women, one of my favorites,” Luis replied that he had already read that as well. She learned her head back against the wall and thought.   
“I would suggest Lord of the Flies, but I’m not a huge fan of that myself.” She sat upright in her chair and snapped her finger. “I know what you should read. Animal Farm by George Orwell. I read it in 9th grade I think, but you should definitely read it. It’s really short but worthwhile. I think we have a used copy somewhere here.”  
Juliette walked through the shelves, looking for the copy. She found it in the front corner, on the top shelf. She was trying to reach it, but she was just short. She felt a hand on her waist and a cool breath on her neck. “Let me help you with that ma poupée.” Aahna’s low voice sounded in her ear. Aahna was reaching above her head and grabbing the book she was looking for. Juliette turned around and looked at her. She didn’t seem upset, which was good. Usually, after the meetings with Olivia, she was grumpy and not fun to talk to. It’s not that she didn’t like Olivia, but when Olivia came it wasn’t because there was good news. Aahna ran a hand through her ink-black hair, and placed her arms on the bookshelf behind her and looked down at Juliette, a small smile playing on her lips. “We need to get a stool for you,” she teased.   
Juliette grinned. “Now why would we do that when I can just wait for you to come around and save me. Plus, I’ve gotten pretty good at climbing the shelves if I do say so myself. I’ve only fallen once.”  
“Oh, perfect. I’ll just keep helping you out then, and when you break your arm because you were climbing a shelf and it fell on top of you.”  
“Bullshit. You’d never let that happen to me. I’m much too important for you to just let me go. I expect you to fight for me,” she jested. Aahna raised her eyebrows slightly and her eyes flicked down to Juliette’s lips for a brief second.   
Aahna cleared her through and looked around, backing away from Juliette. Juliette looked away and walked back toward Olivia and Luis. They were talking to each other, which Juliette thought was well based on Luis’s animated face and gestures. Olivia looked slightly overwhelmed but amused at the same time.  
“Juliette! Did you get the book?” He didn’t give her time to respond before he pulled her back into the shelves, away from a surprised Oliva and an entertained Aahna. “I need your help. I don't think she likes me, and I really want her to like me,” he whispered, talking fast and panicked.   
“Dude, you’re fine. You’ve got a cool French accent, nice curly brown hair, and you’re an artist. What’s not to like? If there’s any reason for her not to like you it’s because you’re over here talking to me and not to her.”  
He nodded along with her and took a deep breath, walking back over to Olivia and starting their conversation back up. He was obviously trying and failing at flirting. It was lapin Gil to watch. Aahna was looking at Juliette with a pained expression. She mouthed yikes across the room at Juliette and motioned for Juliette to take Luis back behind the shelves.  
“Luis, I just remembered another book that I think you might like. It’s over here, I think you should see it.”  
“Okay, sure.” He walked over to her and she forced him behind the shelf. “I think that was going better.”  
“Are you blind? That was horrible. How are you so bad at this? It doesn’t make sense. You’ve got all the work to be great at flirting.”  
“I never really needed to. My beautiful looks have brought me far in life,” he explained, looking down at his shoes.  
“You French are so humble. Okay, we can fix this.” Juliette looked around, thinking of a way to fix their problem. He was obviously useless at flirting. He looked a little confused, and Juliette told him that Aahna was on the other side talking to Olivia about him.  
“Just… don’t try to flirt. Have a conversation. You know, back and forth. You need to pretend like you’re talking to someone else.”  
“How am I supposed to do that when she’s standing right in front of me? Should I close my eyes or something?”  
Juliette opened her mouth to laugh at him, but upon seeing he was serious, closed it promptly and calmly told him no, he should not close his eyes. “Look, don’t make it forced. Talk about what you want to talk about, get to know her. Just let it kind of flow on its own. If there’s a lull in conversation that’s okay. If it keeps going on you can ask her questions about herself. Where’s she from, her job, her hobbies, etc. oh, and, don’t lie or change any part of yourself for her. I know it can be tempting, but don’t do it. It’s not worth the hassle later.”  
“You make this like we’re going on a date, not just having a brief interaction in the front of a bookstore.”  
Juliette gave him a cautious grin. “That’s because you’re going on a date. Aahna’s setting it up right now. There’s this really cool place that I went to with her that you would love.”  
“You went on a date with her?” Luis didn’t really seem surprised, which made Juliette wonder how many people thought they were together.  
“What? No, we went there as friends, but it doesn’t matter. Right now you just need to focus on Olivia. You’re gonna do great, I know it. Be yourself and all that shit people say before they go on dates.”  
Luis didn’t look convinced. Juliette grabbed a random book off of the shelf and gave it to him. “Let’s get you these books now, shall we.”  
“I feel like this is just a plot to get me to buy three books from Aahna.” Juliette winked at him and led him back to the counter, where Olivia and Aahna were still standing. Olivia smiled warmly at Luis, and Juliette gave Aahna a thumbs up. Luis still looked nervous, but he was talking normally and Juliette noticed that the flair of his accent was gone. He still had it, of course, but it was less pronounced than before when he was more nervous.  
Juliette and Aahna escorted, aka pushed, Olivia and Luis out the door, Aahna calling out the directions to the restaurant again and Juliette yelling after them to have fun.  
“Those crazy kids grow up so fast,” Juliette sighed, looking after them fondly before looking up at Aahna. She was looking at Juliette with an odd look.  
“You do know you’re the youngest out of us, right? I mean you’re only three years younger than me, but still the youngest.”  
“How do you know how old Luis and Olivia are? That’s kind of creepy, An.” Aahna scoffed and pulled up both of their Instagram pages.   
“It’s not creepy, it’s called living in the twenty-first century. You should try it sometime, it’d be a nice change for you.”  
“Yeah, yeah I know, Juliette’s fun to make fun of. Have you decided what else we’re going to do with Carissa tonight?”  
“Nope, I figured we could just wing it. She can’t be that picky, right? I mean, she’s a toddler, how bad can it be?”  
“Obviously you’ve never babysat before. No worries, I’m here to help with your lack of knowledge. We picked out that restaurant down the street, the one with really good pasta. We can watch The Sound of Music per your request, and whatever time we have in between we can play games of something.”  
“That’s good with me.” Aahna turned around and walked to the register and started counting the cash in there. Juliette honestly had no clue how they were making money at all, but Aahna never seemed concerned about it.  
Aahna looked at the time on her phone, letting out a low whistle and looked up at Juliette with confused expression. “How is it already lunchtime? I feel like we just woke up like two hours ago. Setting two people up really is hard work.”  
Juliette hummed in agreement and moved to sit on the counter. “I feel like we’ve been going to the same places for the past month. Also, this is random, but I feel like this week has lasted forever. It feels like it was a month ago that we were talking about that ball thing you want Luis and me to go to. Ooh, do you think we should let Luis and Olivia go to that? I don’t think it’s a good idea for Luis and me to go together. Might make Olivia get the wrong impression.”  
Aahna nodded. “I was actually thinking that you and I could go. I don’t have any other plans anymore, and I know you don’t so we might as well go together. Call it a date.”  
Juliette was speechless for a few moments. “I mean, yeah of course. That sounds great. Do you want your dress back?”  
“No, no. I don’t need it. As I said, it doesn’t fit me, and I have something else I’m planning on wearing. Trust me, there’s no loss for clothes where I’m concerned.”  
Juliette let out a small chuckle and leaned back so that her back was flat against the counter. “It’s still two weeks away, so we have plenty of time to get your ready.”  
“Get me ready? What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not completely hopeless like so many of you think.”  
“No, I’ll admit that you are not completely hopeless, but you’ll need to learn a few things before we go.”  
“Were you planning on helping me if I ended up going with Luis it would you have let me suffer in my own insolence.”  
“Have you seen that boy? He would never let you suffer like that. I promise you he would have you take dancing lessons til you were as good as she surely is. He has prep school kid written all over him, I assure you he knows all about dancing and all that.”  
“I don’t doubt that. Can you dance and all those things? I know you didn’t go to prep school, and you definitely didn’t learn at the college you didn’t go to.”  
“Low blow Juliette. Fortunately for you, I don’t regret my decision. I’ve managed to make it in this world just fine. I’m not awful at dancing, my aunt made me learn. She used to dance with her husband before he died, so when a skinny little me came along to live with her she couldn’t help but teach me what she knew. It’s weird, but I hated it then. She would dance for hours on end, and she wouldn’t speak in Hindi or English, the languages I knew at the time. She would only speak French. Looking back on it I realize it's the main reason I can speak French the way I do. She was old and crazy, but in all honesty, I owe her so much of myself.”  
“I’m sorry I could never meet her. She sounds amazing,” Juliette murmured, pushing herself up on her elbows so she could see Aahna.  
“Nonsense. Without her death, I don’t think we ever would’ve met. I even owe her things after she’s gone. Crazy how these things work, isn’t it?”   
“Yeah, it is. I feel the same way sometimes about my grandpa. I definitely wouldn’t be here without him.”  
They looked at each other, both accepting how they got where they are today. Juliette stood up in front of Aahna and reached up, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind Aahna’s hair. Aahna leaned into Juliette’s touch. Aahna closed her eyes and held onto the wrist that was cupping her face gently. Juliette was mesmerized. She looked so much more peaceful with her eyes close, and Juliette couldn't see any of the broken pieces she knew to be there. Aahna looked ethereal, like someone that shouldn’t be here. Juliette couldn’t believe that she got to be here, in Paris with her. When she was with Aahna it felt like she was somewhere else, and she didn’t care in the slightest. The only thing she wanted to do when they were with each other made Aahna happy, make her smile, make her laugh.  
“Juliette, you’re staring.” Juliette looked away quickly, hiding the flush on her face. “Aw come on, don’t be shy now ma raison de vivre.” Juliette had no clue what she was saying in French, but it sounded like some sort of term of endearment. Juliette wasn’t one to complain, though. Anything Aahna said in French got Juliette’s immediate attention. “Carissa is going to be around in a few hours, and we still need lunch. I was going to run by that market store around the corner and get some breed and cheese and stuff because I’m not really that hungry.”  
Juliette nodded and Aahna turned to go. Before she turned around she made a flourishing bow, giving Juliette a cocky grin. “See you later.”   
As soon as she was gone Juliette let out a sigh. She got an idea. They had been going out to dinner ever since their friendship or relationship or whatever it is started. She hadn’t really had the chance to cook at all. She wasn’t the best at cooking, but she knew how to do a few things. Her kitchen in her apartment wasn’t the best, and she doubted Aahna had ever used hers, but she might as well try.   
She sent a text to Aahna telling her to get the ingredients for one of her dad’s favorite foods, lemon chicken piccata. She would try to make something that was less common for Aahna and Carrisaa, but her knowledge was limited as were the ingredients that were available.  
Aahna’s reply was excited, and a little confused, but she said she would try to get them. Juliette doubted she would actually get everything, but she tried to remain hopeful. She made sure the bell above the door was still intact before she went upstairs to check the condition of Aahna’s cooking materials. She hardly had any real plates or silverware, but Juliette was able to find some paper plates. She had one kitchen knife total, two pans, a broken cutting board, and a measuring cup that she had to wash twice to get the dust-out.  
“Okay, not the best conditions possible, but it could be worse. At least all the appliances work. I’m honestly surprised about that.”  
Juliette knew she was talking to herself, but she didn’t really care. There was no one around to hear her, so she kept doing it until she heard the bell downstairs. She took the steps two at a time and was met with a serious-looking businessman.  
“Hello, can I help you look for anything, or are you just browsing?” Juliette was using her customer voice, the one that Aahna teased her endless about.  
Upon seeing Juliette the man flinched, looking pained. “You seem… cheerful. Are you always this happy?” He had a thick accent and a rough voice. Juliette was taken aback by his harsh nature, but she refused to show it.  
“Just happy to help you, sir.” He still didn’t look impressed, but Juliette didn’t really care. She was going to remain civil.  
“Stop smiling so much, you seem fake,” he hissed. Juliette had no clue why he was so upset with her, but she imagined it had nothing to do with her.  
“I think I look good when I smile, so pardon me if you don’t,” she sniped back, still trying to sound chipper.   
“That’s a little egotistical, don’t you think?” The man was getting more and more hostile, but Juliette was done with him.   
“No, I think it’s called self-confidence, but I don’t expect you to know that. Look, I can help you find a book if you want, but if you're just in here to make my day worse I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”  
He lay out a low grumble. “I need your help. My son is really into fantasy books, and it’s his birthday coming up. I need to get him, like, six books because he goes through them so fast.”  
“I can help you. What books has he already read? What books had he read that he didn't like? And, is there anything you don’t want him reading?” Juliette thought that her questions would make the man ever worse, but it seemed to calm him down.  
“” He’s read the main ones like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, those other ones.” Juliette’s prior thoughts on the man changed. She saw him light up as he talked about his son, and she could see he cared. “I remember he didn’t love Lord of the Rings and he doesn’t like horror or anything like that. As far as what I don’t want him to read I don’t really have any specific things, just appropriate for teens.”  
Juliette nodded along as he talked, thinking through the books she had read so she could find what he was looking for. “So I’m going to go for some of the lesser-known series for him, just because I want to make sure he hasn’t read it. I don’t think I’ll get anything Dystopian because if I remember I got a little tired of reading those after a while because they all sort of turn out the same.” The man looked completely lost in her words, so she explained what she was talking about. “There’s one book I know, but I’m not sure if he would like it. It can get a little creepy in a psychological way. It’s called the Loneliest Girl in the Universe.” The man seemed okay with it, so she found a copy of that and put it on the counter next to the register.   
“Now he might’ve read this one, but it’s one of my sister’s favorites, and I recently started it. It’s called City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I think he’ll like it, it’s hard not to. How many more do you want for him?”  
“I was thinking maybe five or six total? Reading is one of the things that me and him bond over, so I figured this would make it personal.”  
“That’s a great idea. Now let’s find you some more books. I’m going to get him something older because it’s good to branch out sometimes. Charles Baudelaire’s poems are a really good place to start when reading classics. There’s a copy of all of his poems in the back, let me go get it. This is la fleur du mal. It’s a pretty traditional French piece, so it should be good.” She grabbed the book before returning to the man, who was looking considerably happier.   
“You speak as if you are not French. Are you American? You haven’t been speaking French at all.”  
“Yes, I’m from America. Unfortunately, I don’t know any French so if you’re looking for anything extremely Parisian then I’m afraid I can’t help you.”  
“No, that’s okay. I think that it’s okay if this book that’s in French it’s okay. I’ve been trying to improve his English, so this should help.”  
“Great. Again, sorry I can’t help you out more with the French aspect.” He brushes her comment off.  
“Non, it’s okay. It would actually be great for him to learn more English and be able to read English and have more normal, not- school-related conversations, but my husband only speaks French so that’s what we speak at home.”  
“That would be something I can help with.” Juliette suddenly got an idea for a way she could help out and maybe make some money. “He could come over here sometime and read with me. He wouldn’t need to bring anything, we have plenty of books here. We could read and talk about it, like a book club tutor situation.”  
The man seemed to think about it. His face broke into a small smile, and he was quick to agree. Juliette thought it was a little odd that he would trust a complete stranger, but she supposed she wasn’t the most threatening figure. “I think that would be great. If a few of his friends could come to that would be amazing. The schools all teach English, but it’s hard to learn without one on one. I would stay as well, just to make sure everything’s okay and translate if needed.”  
“That sounds great. If you don’t have time or something my boss speaks French so she can help.” The man nodded.   
“I’ll talk with my son about it as soon as I can. For now, I think we should focus on getting him some more books.”   
“Of course. Another classic that I think he would like is The DaVinci Code. It’s set in Paris, and it’s one of a murder mystery. I’ll warn you, it has some controversial topics, but nothing that I would be overly concerned about. There’s one more book that I think he might like. It recently came out as a movie, but they’re nothing alike. It’s called Ready Player One. I think he’ll really like it.”  
They had all of their books together. Juliette started ringing them up and bagging them when the man spoke up again. “Look, I’m sorry for the way I acted earlier. I had been to a lot of places, and it was the end of a long day. I know that it’s not an excuse, but I just wanted to explain myself a little.”  
Juliette wasn’t used to being apologized to by rude customers. Most of the time the customer just pretended they had never been rude and went on with their day. “Oh, thanks. It’s okay though. I’m from New York, so people being a little less than pleasant isn’t anything new.”  
She finished bagging them up and handed them to him. She had written her number and the ship’s number on a slip of paper in the bag so he could contact her if he decided he wanted to take her up on her offer to help his kid. She knew it was far fetched, but she held out hope in her social skills. He left with a friendly wave and an open smile. Juliette pulled out her phone and scrolled through Instagram, following Luis and Olivia.  
Aahna got back to the apartment about an hour before when they were supposed to get Carissa from Ray. She surprisingly got almost all of the things Juliette had asked for, and she promised to stay out of the kitchen and watch the shop while Juliette started. They were planning on eating early because kids were like old people and went to bed early.   
Juliette was upstairs in the kitchen barely starting to cook when she heard Ray’s calming voice and Carissa’s excited chattering. She smiled to herself and walked down the stairs. Ray was looking at Aahna nervously. Aahna was holding Carissa up above her head and swinging her around.   
“Hey Ray, Carissa.” Juliette nodded in their direction, wiping her hands on Aahna’s the back of Aahna’s shirt. Aahna gave her a glare and tried to wipe her back on Ray’s front, which Ray easily dodged.  
“Please do try to act somewhat like an adult. I know how hard it is for you two, but I believe that you can do it,” he said dryly.   
“Your belief was all I ever wanted mon amie. It means the world to me that you finally came to your senses about me taking care of your beautiful daughter.”  
“Yeah, yeah. You are aware that the pair of you are only doing this because it was my last resort. It was not my choice, but my household took a vote and I was outvoted by Carissa and her cat who apparently counts as a vote, now.”  
“Seems fair to me,” Aahna commented, passing Carissa off to Juliette, who held her by her ankles and flipped her upside down. She let out a high pitched squeal and tried to pull herself up. Juliette relented and put the little girl down. She promptly ran over to her father and dragged him over to the picture books. She chose one and pulled him down so she could sit in his lap and read together.   
Juliette watched the two of then. Ray was looking at his daughter, his usually unreadable face was plastered with an expression of pure love. Carries was attempting to read, and not getting very far with it, but Ray still encouraged her to keep going.  
Juliette didn’t notice that Aahna had come up next to her. Aahna wrapped an arm around Juliette’s shoulders, pulling her closer to Aahna.   
“It always shocks me to see him with her. The way he cares about other people is so different than the way he cares about her. He could be surrounded by all the people who love him and I think he would go straight to her.”  
“Did you ever meet his wife?” Aahna looked a little surprised. She glanced at Juliette then looked back at Ray, who was singing softly to a giddy Carissa.  
“No, she died before he moved here. They met in Italy, in the town where they were both from. They were sort of a big deal couple in the town from what I’ve heard. They had been best friends since they were little, and the town took bets on when they would get married because everyone knew it would happen. I think he moved here because everything in Italy reminded him of her. You can say what you want about him, but I’ve always thought he was really strong. He’s never resented Carissa for his wife’s death as you hear about sometimes. I’ve never seen him do anything except love her.”  
“Yeah, he’s a great dad.” Juliette was leaning on Aahna. She looked up at Aahna, who was looking down at her. Aahna wasn’t smiling, but Juliette could tell she was happy. They stood there for what seemed like forever and not long at the same time. Finally, with a small noise in the back of her throat, Aahna buried her face in the crook of Juliette’s neck. Juliette wrapped her arms around Aahna’s neck and held her.   
“I don’t know what’s going on, Zo.” Juliette was relieved to hear that Aahna also had no idea what they were doing.   
Juliette placed her thumb beneath Aahna’s chin and tilted her head up so that they were once again looking into each other’s eyes. God, her eyes. Juliette had been wrong about them before. They weren’t the color of the sky, that was much too simple. They were deep like the ocean and vast as the sky. They were charmingly alert and intoxicating. They were frosty around the edge, and dark in the middle. Juliette could write pages describing Aahna’s eyes.  
“Yeah, me neither, but you know what? I don’t really care because whatever I’m doing I’m doing it with you and that makes me feel content and so goddamn lucky. So, as long as you’re okay with figuring it out together, then I think we can do this, whatever this is,” Juliette proposed.   
Aahna grinned and Juliette swore she could hear music playing in her head, which wasn’t that far fetched for her. Aahna leaned down to kiss Juliette on the cheek. It was soft and sweet and it said all the things that they hadn’t said to each other.  
“I can live with that.” Juliette rested her head on Aahna’s shoulder, and Aahna wrapped her arm around Juliette’s waist, trapping them together.  
“Hey, lovebirds, do you want to take care of my kid or keep staring lovingly into each other’s eyes?”  
Juliette gave Ray the middle finger and Aahna leaned in to give Juliette another kiss, this time on the lips. Juliette promised herself that she would never get tired of being with Aahna, even in times like then when they had no clue what was going on.  
Carissa came up to the pair of them and started tugging on Juliette’s shirt. They broke apart, and Juliette picked Carissa up. As soon as she did the toddler immediately decided she didn’t want to be held anymore and got down.  
“Yeah, that seems about right,” Juliette sighed. Aahna snickered beside her and Juliette gave her a playful glare. “That could’ve been you.”  
“Le sottises. She would never do that to me, I’m much too likable.” Juliette gave her a look and she shrugged. “You should learn to accept my irresistible-ness.”   
Juliette scoffed. “I learned to accept your huge ego a while ago, I think that’s what you’re talking about.”  
“Ouch.” Aahna pulled Carissa up onto her shoulders gracefully and started carrying her up the stairs. “Goodbye Raymond, your daughter and I will have great fun.”  
“Yeah, let's just forget about Juliette, the one who's cooking dinner, and possibly the reason this is happening on the first place.”  
Ray snorted and waved them goodbye, leaning up to kiss Carissa on the cheek and murmur something that Juliette didn’t understand in Italian.  
“Up we go. Come on, we’re going to have some real fun. Ray, don’t look so nervous. Juliette and I got this. She’s taken care of kids before.”  
Juliette shouldered Carissa's bag and started up the stairs. Juliette gave Ray a thumbs up and climbed up the stairs, tripping on the last one, but playing it off coolly.  
Ray let out an audible sigh and walked out the door, turning back to look at them one last time before he left.  
“Are you ready to have some fun?” Carissa nodded and smiled widely, wandering around the apartment and looking at random things.  
Aahna walked up to Juliette. “Are you going to finish whatever you’re cooking or are we eating lemon slices and raw chicken?”  
“Very funny. Keep that up and you won’t be eating anything at all,” Juliette threatened, wagging her finger at Aahna, and trying to look demanding, but ultimately failing.  
Aahna rolled her eyes and went over to Carissa, picking her up and placing her in her lap, tickling the small child.  
Juliette smiled coldly at them and started her cooking again. It only took her about 45 minutes to cook it, and Aahna kept Carissa relatively entertained, so it wasn’t hard to focus. Juliette thought that she actually did good, which was rare. Aahna and Carissa seemed to think that it was good also, so Juliette was satisfied.   
They are together in the living room on paper plates. Juliette and Aahna bombarded Carissa with questions about random things, and she seemed to be having fun.  
Juliette learned that her favorite color was green because it was her dad’s favorite, her favorite animal was the peacock because of the colors, and she wanted to be a mermaid when she grew up. Juliette thought she had a bright future as a mermaid.   
They went to clean up the kitchen, meaning Juliette did the few dishes that she used to make the meal while Aahna and Carissa danced to the music Aahna had playing, which Juliette was pretty sure was Billy Joel or Elton John, or a mix of those two.  
New York State of mind started playing, making Juliette smile. Bree loved this song, and there was one point in Juliette’s life when she had listened to this song at least twenty times in a row.   
“Reminiscing in the past?” Aahna was next to her, leaning on the counter. The window was open, casting pink-tinted sunlight onto her, making her look like a painting, every stroke purposeful and stunning.  
“No, just thinking about how you don’t have dish soap, and I’ve been washing everything with this hand soap.”  
“I don’t need dish soap, I don’t cook. Plus, jokes on you, that's extra strength hand soap because I like to keep myself extra clean.” Aahna grimaced. “That’s not really how I wanted that to come out. No matter, nous allons de l’avant.”  
Carissa, who had apparently been watching them, was demanding them to dance. Juliette, not really knowing how to say no to her, begrudgingly agreed.   
They all stood in an awkward circle, dancing together. Juliette was doing a weird head-noo thing, Carissa was twirling with her hands in the air, and Aahna was swaying and flapping her arms. Only Aahna could make dancing like a chicken look graceful and composed.  
They went on like this for two more songs, before Carissa announced that she had to go to the bathroom. Juliette and Aahna looked at each other for a second.  
“Not it.” Juliette knelt down on the floor and held a finger to her nose.  
“What are you doing?” Aahna and Carissa were looking at her, confused expressions on their faces.  
Juliette looked at each of them separately, seeing if they were joking. They were not. “Okay, I guess that’s an American thing, but it still counts. You have to take her.” Juliette crossed her arms in front of her chest and took a battle stance.  
“That’s cute. I’ll do it, it’s not that big of a deal. Come on, let’s go.” They went into the other room. Juliette didn’t really know how this was going to turn out, and she was pleasantly surprised when they came out looking okay. Carissa was even in her pajamas.  
“We decided that it would be easier to put pajamas on now, so that if she fell asleep during our movie then we could just carry her into my bed.”  
“Your bed? Where are you going to sleep? Ray really didn’t think this out.” She turned to Carissa. “Shh, don’t tell your dad I said that.” Carissa giggled. Aahna shrugged.  
“I can just sleep on the floor or something.” Juliette gave her a dubious look. “What? I’ve slept on worse. I have pretty softwood floors.”  
“An, no. Carissa can sleep on the couch and you and I can share the bed. It’s not a big deal.”  
Aahna looked at Juliette with raised eyebrows. “I know I’m gorgeous and desirable, but if you wanted to sleep with me you could’ve just asked.”  
“There are certain things I would say to you if there wasn’t a kid here,” Juliette murmured in Aahna’s ear.  
“Sensationnel. I don’t know which way you’re intending to go with that statement, but whatever it is I’m all in.” Juliette rolled her eyes and walked over to Carissa, who was laying on the couch. She flopped down next to her. “Hey, kid. You okay with sleeping on the couch?”  
The little girl nodded and looked excited. Juliette understood why. When she was young she always loved to sleep in places she didn’t usually sleep in.  
“I thought you would like that. You wanna start watching?” She leaned in like she was telling a secret. “It’s Aahna’s favorite movie.”  
“Don’t listen to whatever she’s saying unless it’s in a good perspective, which it most likely is because I’m amazing.”  
“Did you have some sort of ego-booster for lunch or something? It seems worse today. You should see a doctor.”  
“Very funny. Now, mon petit, I think it’s time to watch the movie.” Aahna settled into the couch with them. It was not a large couch by any means, so they were a little cramped, but they didn’t really care.   
Juliette pressed the play button and turned the volume up. They were greeted with the familiar sights of the mountains, and Juliette looked over to see Carissa crawl into Aahna’s lap. This gave Juliette more room, so she stretched out and laid her head on Aahna’s shoulder. Juliette wasn’t jealous of all the attention that Carissa gave Aahna. They had known each other for a much longer time, and Juliette didn’t make as much of an effort to hang out with her. Juliette loved the kid, but she wasn’t prone to devoting her attention to her like Aahna was. Juliette preferred the company of older kids because she liked to hear their thoughts and because she thought they had a good sense of humor. Granted, it was all dark and self-deprecating, but still funny.  
Juliette thought it was fun to watch Aahna’s face during the other movies, but they were nothing compared to this. She could almost recite every line, and she knew all the lyrics to the songs by heart, and she sang along softly in Carissa’s ear. Not to say Juliette wasn’t singing along as well. She definitely was, she was just more discreet. Juliette wasn’t known for her singing skills.  
They were at the song Something Good when Aahna noticed that Carissa was asleep in her lap. They carefully laid her down on the couch, covering her with blankets and making sure she was in a comfortable looking position.  
The movie was still playing softly in the background, and Aahna was singing along, dancing around as she put away the extra blankets and other things.   
Juliette stood there, watching her. She seemed so light, almost as if she was going to float away if Juliette didn’t hold on, so that’s what Juliette did. She held on.  
Aahna was facing away from her, so Juliette wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. Aahna stood still for a moment, then relaxed into Juliette. She leaned her head back onto Juliette’s shoulder and wrapped her arms around Juliette’s neck.   
Aahna was singing along softly again. They were swaying softly, both utterly relaxed in each other’s presence.   
“You know, we always seem to end up dancing together,” Aahna muttered into Juliette’s ear, “Not that I have an issue with dancing,” she added.  
“Yeah,” Juliette agreed. “With anyone else, it would be a little weird, but I don’t have a problem with it. Maybe it’s your natural elegance and grace.”  
“That’s definitely it. It could also have to do with the fact that I love dancing and I always force you into it.”  
“They might be it, although this time I was the one to dance with you.” Juliette leaned forward into Aahna, near her ear. “This is moving a lot faster than all the other relationships I’ve been on.”  
Aahna jerked away. She turned around and looked at Juliette, shuffling her feet and looking down.  
“No, no no, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just, in a cautious person, and I take my time with these things, but I don’t see the need to do that with you. It’s like, I can’t be with you, and it’s too hard to pretend like this isn’t happening.”  
Aahna nodded, but still looked a little more unsure of what was going on. “Aahna, I do want this. I wouldn’t lie about this.”  
Aahna let out a sigh and looked up, letting a smile across her feathers. “I hope that’s true because I don’t plan on letting you go anytime soon.” She was smirking at her, and Juliette could feel the warmth in her face.  
Aahna threw an arm around Juliette and dragged her into the bedroom. Aahna sat down on the bed and laid back.  
Juliette laughed and crawled next to her, resting her head on Aahna’s arm. Aahna kissed the top of Juliette’s head. Juliette hummed slightly and closed her eyes. She listened to Aahna’s breathing and she fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! there should be some more chapters coming very soon.


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